Video shows moment Starbucks employee fights off robbers - and gets fired for it

Key Points:

• A Starbucks employee, Michael Harris, claims he and a coworker were fired after confronting two robbers at their St. Louis store during an attempted robbery in December 2023, with new security footage recently released showing the incident.
• The footage reveals one robber shoved an employee to the ground, while Harris was hit with a gun, which was later discovered to be fake after a coworker intervened; the employees then fought back and restrained one robber until police arrived.
• Harris and the other fired employee have sued Starbucks for wrongful termination, with a jury trial scheduled for next summer; their attorney argues they were punished despite acting in self-defense and protecting others.
• Starbucks stated it is "deeply disturbed" by the incident and emphasized its safety protocols focus on de-escalation and complying with demands during robberies to reduce risk to partners and customers.
• The company highlighted that adherence to these protocols is critical to partner and customer safety, suggesting the employees’ actions may have violated these guidelines.