Dispensary’s Security Protocols Ensure the Arrest of Armed Robbers

A store manager of a Seattle-based cannabis dispensary acted swiftly to ensure armed robbers did not get away from local police officers. Have a Heart cannabis store in north Seattle was robbed late Sunday night. Luckily, the store manager Damon Martinez was watching the live video feed of the dispensary when the two armed robbers in masks entered the location. Employees were closing up for the night when the dispensary’s security guard and two employees were held at gunpoint and restrained with zip ties.

It was standard procedure for Martinez to watch the dispensary closing process on the live feed, and he had a sinking feeling as soon as he saw the robbery start to happen. He immediately reacted by alerting the authorities.

Martinez told Leafly, “I did a play-by-play for [the Seattle Police Department] on which rooms they were in and when they were exiting, so [officers] could be prepared to make arrests when it happened. We coordinated, they turned off all the lights, and the guys walked right into their damn hands. For a bad situation like this, it probably couldn’t have gone better.”

The security protocols in place for Have a Heart definitely helped ensure the robbers were caught and that no one was injured. Problems like robberies for cannabis dispensaries continue to highlight the banking issues that trouble legal cannabis industries. Until federal banking restrictions on cannabis-related businesses are lifted, dispensaries will need to continue having strict security protocols in line, in order to protect their staff and customers.