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Two more Bigfoot Java stands targeted by robbers in Pierce County

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Two Bigfoot Java coffee stands were robbed with an “implied weapon” in Pierce County, less than two weeks after five coffee stands were targeted in a string of armed robberies across Pierce and King counties.

The two coffee stands didn’t have any cash stolen. Bigfoot Java is currently cashless, so they don’t accept or store cash at their stands.

Deputies responded to the Parkland location at around 2:53 a.m. Tuesday. The window was locked, the employee ran to lock herself in a bathroom, and the suspect was unable to get into the stand. Nothing was stolen during this incident, according to Pierce County Sgt. Darren Moss.

Then at 3:09 a.m., deputies responded to another call at Bigfoot Java’s location in Alderton. An employee said someone had “his hand in his sweatshirt to imply he had a gun,” according to Moss.

The suspect climbed through the window, demanded cash, and then stole an iPad.

No arrests have been made, so far.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).

“For all you robbers out there, most businesses don’t have cash anymore,” Moss said. “The damage to the business is more than whatever they stole.”

An “implied weapon” was used during both robberies, which means the suspect(s) indicated they were armed but never brandished a weapon.

“We don’t know if the suspect had a weapon or not, but it really doesn’t matter because it’s still going to be robbery,” Moss said. “If you’re implying you have a weapon, if you have a fake weapon, if you have something that looks like a weapon and you point it at somebody, that still constitutes a robbery. In this case, it was very scary for the workers.”

An “implied weapon” was also used during a string of robberies across at least five Bigfoot Java locations across Pierce and King County.

Moss said it’s unclear if the two recent robberies are connected, but detectives are looking into the possibility.

“People that are out there committing these robberies, you need to think about this before you go out: rent is about $2,000 on average. It’s going to take at least six of these robberies for you to make a rent payment. And that doesn’t include food, electricity, water, any of that stuff. It is totally not worth it in the long run. Please, please, please, knock it off. There’s plenty of resources out there. There’s plenty of jobs being offered everywhere,” Moss said.