Teenager beaten, robbed at Yakima espresso bar
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- 17-year-old “Kennedy” was working at the espresso bar on the 3700 block of Tieton Drive around Sunrise Thursday morning.
It was a regular shift, until a masked robber jumped into the window and attacked her.
"I heard two feet land inside the espresso bar and my heart dropped,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy says she quickly tried to use her stun gun, but he grabbed it from her.
She said the man beat her so badly, she thought he may have been trying to kidnap her. So she tried to defend herself.
"He pushed me on the ground to where my face was in the rug and was pulling my hair, yelling at me to open the money and to shut up just because I was screaming so much,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said the man kicked and punched her in the stomach until she opened the safe.
He grabbed several hundred dollars and took off.
Lori and Scott Rainford own the espresso bar and say they felt their employees were safe.
They have security cameras, keep the doors padlocked and use taizers. Their windows are several feet high and didn't think someone could get through so easily.
The espresso bar owners called other coffee shop owners in the area to let them know it could happen to them too; if they have a window that's wide enough for someone to fit through.
I spoke with another espresso bar worker, Anna Voelker, to see how she felt after hearing the news of the robbery. She says after two robberies in one month she's worried.
"Lately, ya," Anna said. "Actually, me and my boss were just talking about it today."
Anna says her coffee bar also has a dead-bolted door and cameras. However, given the two recent robberies, it seems thieves are figuring out a way in.
"We're definitely going to look into a smaller, commercial-type window that's a lot safer, that nobody can jump through in a heartbeat,” Scott said.
Scott and Lori plan on making sure what happened to Kennedy, doesn't happen again.
The espresso bar owners say their surveillance was not properly functioning at the time of the robbery.
The suspect is described as a white male, about 6' 2".
Hmm Yakima used to be a nice place to grow up and live but not in this day and age. I moved away a long time ago due to the lack of interest by the city fathers in their community. Pretty sad when these typs of incidents happen not to mention the shootings that occur on a regular basis. I lived on first avenue and graduated from Davis Senior High School back in the 70's. Time for the people at the top to step up and do the right thing.Â
Why would you keep 1500.00 bucks at a espresso stand? shouldn't the 16 year old be getting ready for school. nice tat.
its 2012 get a clue kilo kids have tats now as you elegantly put it. kids also have jobs before school and after school. so enough of your open ended drizzle and trolling.
This is yakivegas and i've been posting in here for years, had to change after the "new commenting system". 16-17 year olds are not allowed to work before 7am. Notice the article has now been changed to erase the time?Â
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try to follow the commenting rules. Talk about open ended drizzle and trolling lol.
Good thing we adequately fund prisons and the justice system in town. Oh wait, we don't because we are too cheap to fund the basic functions of government. Nice job Yakima. Way to throw common sense out the window.