ST. LOUIS – Quick-thinking employees at St. Louis Starbucks averted a dangerous situation over the weekend, leading to two arrests in an attempted robbery.
Prosecutors have charged Joshua Noe, 37, and Marquise Porter-Doyle, 35, with a combined 21 felonies in the investigation.
Noe and Porter-Doyle are accused of an attempted robbery Sunday at the Starbucks in the 200 block of South Grand Boulevard.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Noe and Porter-Doyle entered Starbucks around 3 p.m. Sunday in possession of what initially appeared to be handguns. They reportedly ordered seven employees and one customer to the ground, demanding employees to open a cash register and a safe deposit box.
Court documents state that Noe struck one victim in the head with “what appeared to be a handgun,” but the item broke, and some employees realized it wasn’t a real firearm.
One victim began fighting back against the suspects before Noe and Porter-Doyle reportedly struck them in the face, per court documents. Eventually, Noe was detained until an officer was able to arrive to the scene. Porter-Doyle reportedly ran away from the store, but officers tracked him down later on Sunday.
Noe and Porter-Doyle were charged with three counts of robbery, six counts of attempted robbery and one count of assault each. Noe was also charged with a second count of assault.
Court records indicate Porter-Doyle has a criminal history in the City of St. Louis dating back to 2013. Both suspects are jailed in St. Louis City without bond.