An Armed Barista Is A Safe Barista

JitterzJava in North Spokane, Washington was robbed three times last month. Owner Sara Chapel said enough is enough and has begun encouraging her employees to be armed at work.

Security footage from the latest robbery attempt Sunday night shows a suspect holding what looks like a weapon trying to enter the shop through the drive-thru window. The employee was able to put down a block to stop the entry and grab her gun, but by then the suspect left. Chapel is making sure her employees can defend themselves if it happens again.

“A couple of them bring handguns every day, no matter what shift it is. There is always a gun here now,” she said.

Ms. Chapel also makes sure there is a firearm present at the coffee shop at all times. Many of her employees have their Washington State carry permits.

Local police have no problem with the employees of JitterzJava being armed so long as they are 18 years old and have a clean criminal record.

Owners such as Sara Chapel should be applauded for being concerned enough about their employees to encourage them to take their self-defense seriously.

H/T Polite Society Podcast


5 thoughts on “An Armed Barista Is A Safe Barista”

  1. Baristas are often young girls working alone, robbery is not the biggest threat. A recent horrific story here in Anchorage made that clear. Keyes also climbed in the drive-through window to start his crime.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Keyes

    "Keyes' last known murder was the kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, a barista working in Anchorage, Alaska. Authorities said that Keyes kidnapped her from her place of employment, stole her debit card and other property, then murdered her the following day. Police stated that Keyes sexually assaulted Koenig before he murdered her. After Koenig's death, Keyes left on a cruise out of New Orleans, leaving Koenig's body in a shed. When he returned home, he took a photograph of her body with a 4-day-old issue of the Anchorage Daily News, maintaining the illusion that she was still alive in his ransom demand. After demanding US$30,000 in ransom, Keyes dismembered Koenig and disposed of her body in Matanuska Lake north of Anchorage."

  2. Owners such as Sara Chapel should be applauded

    Oh hell YES!
    Once word gets around the cowards will hunt elsewhere. They want victims not a fight.

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