Two St. Louis Starbucks employees who fought off a pair of armed robbers and held one of them for police were later fired for violating company policy by refusing to simply comply, according to newly released security video and interviews obtained by FOX 2 News.
The confrontation unfolded on a Sunday afternoon in December 2023 at the Starbucks location near the Saint Louis University campus. Two masked men entered the store, ordered everyone to the floor, and demanded money. One of the suspects shoved a female employee to the ground. Michael Harris, who was working the drive-thru, attempted to open the register. When he could not, one of the robbers struck him in the back of the head with what appeared to be a handgun.“After that point, my vision went black,” Harris later told FOX 2. “I was like, ‘I’m about to get shot.’ It was definitely a life or death situation in my eyes.”
A co-worker, Devin Jones-Ransom, then tackled the gunman into the drive-thru window. The weapon broke on impact. Harris said the men realized the guns were fake only after the trigger piece came off. The two employees then overpowered one of the suspects and restrained him until police arrived. The second suspect fled but was later arrested. Both men, identified as Joshua Noe and Marquise Porter-Doyle, were convicted of robbery charges and sentenced to prison.
Harris and Jones-Ransom were placed on paid leave while the company reviewed the incident. Weeks later, after local coverage of their actions had faded, Starbucks terminated both of them. Harris said he received a call from corporate informing him that he was being fired effective immediately for violating company policy. The policy directs employees not to engage or resist during a robbery and to comply with demands.
Harris’s attorney, Ryan Krupp, said his client initially tried to follow instructions by attempting to open the register. “You have the right to self-preservation,” Krupp said. “You have the right to make sure that you and your family are not physically harmed—full stop.” Harris had been working to help pay for paramedic school at the time of the incident.
Starbucks has maintained that its protocols are designed to protect both employees and customers by avoiding escalation. In statements issued after the firings became public, the company said partners are expected to follow established procedures during robberies rather than confront suspects. Company officials have not publicly detailed any alternative steps the two employees should have taken once one of them had already been struck in the head.
The security footage, obtained by FOX 2 and circulated widely in recent days, shows the suspects entering the store, the initial compliance by employees, the strike to Harris’s head, and the subsequent struggle near the drive-thru window and in the dining area. One suspect is visible on the ground while the other exits. Police later thanked the employees at the scene.
The case has drawn renewed attention after the video’s release, with critics arguing that the company’s non-resistance rule left employees exposed once violence had already begun and then punished them for stopping it. Starbucks has not reversed the terminations. Harris previously said he was surprised and distraught by the decision once the initial media attention subsided.
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