Surveillance video captured the moment a group crashed a car into a shop in order to rob the place but instead scrambled away after a bystander sprayed them with bear repellant.
The video footage showed a group of hooded figures arrange their cars outside of the Marijuanaclub99 in Everett, Washington, on Monday at about 3 a.m.
Owner Ryan Johnson told KOMO-TV that he was notified by an alarm by the building and saw someone crashing a car into his business.
A few moments later, they scattered after another man ran into the frame and chased them from the business and back into their cars. One of the cars tried to speed away and crashed into another one of the cars, nearly flipping over.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said officers believe the cars were stolen. No arrests have been made.
Although the bystander was able to chase away the would-be robbers, they caused extensive damage to the pot shop. The owner said this was the first incidence of a crash-and-rob but that the shop had been robbed at gunpoint five or six times.
Johnson said the man worked nearby and that he would reward him for thwarting the attempted robbery.
“He’s a great guy. I’m very grateful,” Johnson said. “He’ll get a reward for that. It’s amazing he could get out here and put a stop to it so quick.”
He added that without any real punishment to act as a deterrent that the robberies would continue.
“They’re going to put themselves in a bad situation. They’re going to end up dead, probably, because there’s a lot of owners that are sitting inside their shops that do have firearms,” Johnson said.
“It’s a matter of time before they end up dead or in prison,” he concluded. “They should probably think twice about what they’re doing.”
Here’s a news report about the incident:
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