Starbucks employee who intervened during store robbery sues after firing: 'Human right' to self-defense

A former Starbucks employee is taking legal action against the coffee chain for wrongful termination after he was fired following a robbery at the St. Louis store where he worked. 

Michael Harris, the former barista, took action during that robbery back in December. His attorney, Ryan Krupp, said his client acted in self-defense when the robbers entered the store with what appeared to be real guns and pistol-whipped him in the back of the head. 

"I tried to help get the cash register open. It wasn't going as planned. I tried to ask a supervisor to get up off the ground, but at that point, I got pistol-whipped in the back of the head," Harris told "Fox & Friends First" on Monday. "Then after that, we just laid down on the ground, tried to not have anything happen, and I felt in endangered."

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"So me and a co-worker were just… staring at each other and stuff, but they started frisking us down… pushing us around, taking our personal belongings, and we started to fight back," he continued. 

When the two men demanded cash from the register, Harris said that he tried to comply with their demands but did not have the proper managerial clearance to gain access to the computer register.

Because he took too long, one of the thieves pistol-whipped him.

One of Harris' co-workers noticed that portion of the weapon broke off, and he concluded that the gun was a fake. That was when the employees decided to fight back against the thieves. 

Two suspects were reportedly involved in a robbery at a St. Louis Starbucks back in December.  ('Fox & Friends' screengrab)

After a fight ensued, one of the men ran off and Harris and his co-worker were able to restrain the other until police arrived, according to local reporting.

Harris and his colleague were fired weeks after the incident, but reportedly received no clarification on why they were terminated or what they could have done differently during the incident, according to Krupp. 

"You have the human right to defend yourself from being attacked," Krupp said. "In Missouri, we have a stand-your-ground law, and that would supersede any corporate policy. No corporation should have the ability to put a policy in place that overrides your human rights."

"And not only that, but in this case, Starbucks did not cite such a policy when they decided to let Mr. Harris go. Of course they're going to rely on that now, but, we have other plans for that," he continued. 

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Starbucks (iStock)

Starbucks previously told FOX Business, "We were deeply disturbed to learn of this frightening incident. Partner safety is at the core of how we operate in our stores, and we are so grateful that our partners and customers did not come to greater harm in this situation.  In situations like this, our training and protocols guide our partners to comply and de-escalate, not just for their safety but for the safety of all in the store."

Harris reportedly notified the coffee chain of his safety concerns at the St. Louis store well before the robbery took place. 

"We think of that as kind of a whistleblower scenario," Krupp said. "This is a person that has made the store aware of the dangerous scenario. The dangerous thing did happen. They had to choose life over death or their safety over the safety of the robbers, and they were punished for it." 

"I think ultimately, Starbucks is going to meet us at an even playing field when they see the jury."

FOX Business contributed to this report. 

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