People often turn to places like Starbucks for their morning caffeine fix as they commute to work. To ensure a speedy journey, many of these individuals opt-in for the drive-thru service in order to quickly grab their coffee and be on their way.
Whether you’re ready to start your day or just need a jolt of energy, Starbucks has got you covered. With many locations opening before sunrise, they provide coffee and other delicious beverages so that no coffee-lover needs to suffer from an early wakeup call ever again!
On a brisk morning in Washington, an average day at the drive-thru of a Starbucks quickly spiraled into something extraordinary for one barista.
The surveillance footage from the Starbucks drive-thru window reveals a pickup truck parked in front. The barista is seen extending her arm through the opening and holding what appears to be money; suggesting that she had already collected payment for his order, and was now returning him with his change.
Reaching through his car window, the driver forcefully grabs hold of the barista’s wrist in a bid to yank her into the drive-thru window. With his other hand, he wields what law enforcement has identified as “a looped ziptie device,” attempting to grab her second arm while she desperately tries to fight him off.
Miraculously, the barista was able to effectively repel off the driver and close down the drive-thru window. The driver then drove away, scattering money on pavement in his wake. Fortunately for law enforcement officials, this entire incident was recorded by surveillance cameras and later posted on social media as a way of attempting to track down the said assailant.
The Auburn Police Department is asking for any information to help identify a suspect that attempted to abduct a barista during the early morning hours of 1/16/2023. pic.twitter.com/w8qzJQs5ZA
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023
In an effort to locate the driver more quickly, police also released a detailed image of his tattoo.
If anyone has any information on the identity of this suspect, please contact the Auburn PD Tip Line at 253-288-7403.
— Auburn WA Police Dept (@AuburnWAPolice) January 17, 2023
Thankfully, justice was served as the police were able to locate and apprehend the suspect.
At approximately 5 am, the Auburn police department was alerted to an incident that had occurred while a single barista worked alone. Kolby Crossley, speaking on behalf of the department told CBS News “They are in vulnerable positions because they’re usually controlling those spots by themselves at early hours in the morning when it’s dark outside, but this barista did an awesome job of protecting herself and fighting this person off.”