Seattle Police officers arrested two armed men attempting to rob Greenwood’s Have a Heart medical and recreational cannabis store around 10:20 p.m. on Sunday. The suspects, ages 36 and 47, took several store employees hostage and tied them up, KOMO reported.
Store manager Damon Martinez happened to see the masked suspects inside Have a Heart and called 911. “When I saw them open the door, they immediately put a gun on one of the staff’s face, put them on the ground, and I immediately called 911,” he told the news station.
Officers arrived quickly and set up a perimeter around the business. A few minutes later, two suspects walked out the front entrance carrying large duffle bags and officers immediately ordered them to stop.
The suspects dropped the bags and were taken into custody. A handgun was recovered at the scene and was placed into evidence, [SPD’s Detective Mark] Jamieson said.
Martinez doesn’t think the robbers realized they were being watched and didn’t know the police were waiting for them.
“It was almost like the dumbest criminals videos,” he said.
The suspects were taken into custody.
In June, House Republicans blocked an amendment that would have eased banking restrictions on cannabusinesses. Currently, these stores are forced to operate in cash because of federal restrictions preventing banks from accepting “drug money,” Tobias Coughlin-Bogue reported in June. As a result, cannabis shop employees are at a greater risk of crime and violence.
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