A Seattle Baskin Robbins worker has been branded a hero after fighting off a serial armed robber who threatened another employee with a large knife.
Surveillance footage taken inside the South Seattle store on November 25 showed the fast food worker fending off the attacker with his hands and fists. At one point the staff member was able to grab the huge knife dropped by the culprit, who is now being hunted by local police.
Read more: Florida man has job interview, steals shoes on way out, gets arrested
In the video, the robber was captured standing at the counter dressed in a hat and sunglasses. As an employee approached to serve him, the man grabbed her clothing and demanded cash. The woman was later identified as Leslie, who requested her last name be kept private.
Leslie told KRON4: "He grabs me by the apron and then holds his knife to my stomach and he says, 'open the register, give me all the money in it.' I looked down and I'm like, whoa, cause it's just, like, a huge knife at my stomach and I'm just like 'oh my god, we're being robbed.'"
But the woman's male co-worker did not appear too alarmed by the armed assailant. The staffer is seen grabbing the knife from the suspect, who dropped it as the register opened.
"My co-worker grabs his knife and kind of likes throws it at him, but then he turns around like he's gonna leave, but then he comes back and tries to jump over the counter," Leslie explained.
The surveillance footage shows the tussle between the robber and the Baskin Robbins clerk, who was by then holding the knife in his right hand. As the pair fought, Leslie called 911. The suspect was able to grasp a grand total of $6 before fleeing the store.
Ret. Detective Myrle Carner—from Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound—told KCPQ a cash reward of up to $1,000 was now being offered for tips that can help to identify the armed robber.
"He's very intent on getting that money. He doesn't care if the clerk has the knife or not," Carner stated, KRON4 reported. "Not the brightest robbery guy but he is dangerous."
Detectives said the same man is believed to have robbed a different Baskin Robbins store on October 29 using a similar method. Two days before that, he targeted a Subway restaurant. In both cases, law enforcement officers were told that he had threatened to kill the victims.
The suspect was described by police as a black male in his 40s or 50s.
Leslie praised her co-worker's bravery after the dramatic attempted robbery. She told KCPQ: "I told him he was a hero and I bought him a cup and said you're awesome! Stay like that."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jason Murdock is a staff reporter for Newsweek.
Based in London, Murdock previously covered cybersecurity for the International Business Times UK ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
