Sometimes it pays to keep an eye on business, even when you’re at home.
Damon Martinez, manager of the Have a Heart cannabis store on the north side of Seattle, was watching the store’s security video feed from home. He was able to call police, interrupting two suspected robbers who had tied up employees and were starting to cart away their booty.
According to The Associated Press, Damon saw the masked, armed suspects enter the store, then he phoned the police. They surrounded the building and made arrests as the suspects came out the front door carrying large duffel bags.
The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7. No injuries were reported, but a handgun was found at the scene. The two suspects were booked into the King County Jail for investigation of robbery.
Leafly reported that the crew was closing up. It is Have a Heart’s standard procedure for the manager to view the video at closing. “Our security protocol is a staged exit, where security goes and does a perimeter check and lets the people inside know that it’s safe to exit,” Martinez said Monday morning. “On that perimeter check, he was grabbed by two guys with a gun in his back and told to go back in. He tried to tell the staff what was happening—It’s a robbery; don’t open—but they forced the door open.”
Martinez was able to stay on the phone with the police as they responded, describing for them what was going on inside the store, including which rooms the suspected robbers were in and where the store employees were.
Martinez told Leafly, “It’s good to know that we have a lot of security protocols in place. This is our security at every store, so we watch all the time,” he said. “If somebody thinks they’re going to do something, it’s not going to work. We do this stuff for a reason.”
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