Japanese Man Attempted To Rob Starbucks Store While Armed With Fire Extinguisher

A Japanese man who reportedly attempted to rob a Starbucks store while armed with a fire extinguisher in a bizarre incident has been arrested by Aichi Prefectural Police in Komaki City, Japan on Monday, July 12.

The robbery happened on Monday, July 12, at around 3:30 p.m. The accused, identified as Yasuhiro Okuno, 25, a temporary employee, reportedly burst into a Starbucks outlet in the Komaki Central Library carrying a fire extinguisher before loudly demanding money from the cashier, Tokyo Reporter reported.

“Hand over the money,” he allegedly ordered a 19-year-old female staff member at the store.

The police officials were immediately alerted about the situation and Okuno was apprehended at the scene shortly after. Nobody was reportedly injured in the incident.

The investigators are currently trying to figure out Okuno's motive behind the crime and believe that he obtained the fire extinguisher from the fourth floor of the library.

In a similar but unrelated incident in Seattle, a man dubbed the "Starbucks bandit" reportedly walked into a branch of the coffee chain at 23rd and Jackson on the morning of June 26 and demanded cash by threatening the employees that he had a handgun.

The suspect fled the shop with a Starbucks bag of $1 and $5 bills, according to East Precinct updates. According to witness statements, he fled south on Jackson and through a nearby park.

The police officials were notified shortly and immediately rushed to the scene. Authorities and a K9 unit dog searched the nearby areas and managed to track down the suspect hiding inside a nearby residential building. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) recovered the store's stolen cash from him, but no weapon or handgun was reportedly found, according to Capitol Hill Seattle Blog.

The suspect confessed to the robbery during the initial questioning and also admitted to a similar robbery on Friday, June 25.

On Friday, June 25, a man matching the suspect’s description reportedly entered a Starbucks store on 7th Ave downtown and took off with around $800 in cash after badgering the branch's staff with threats. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for investigation of robbery.

In another incident, a man from Florida allegedly pulled a gun on a Starbucks employee, later found to be the local police chief’s daughter, at a drive-through over a botched order just last month, Latin Times reported.

Omar Wright, 38, expressed his frustration when he discovered that there was no cream cheese on the bagel that he had purchased.

When the worker, Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt's 23-year-old daughter, asked whether he had paid for the cream cheese add-on, he allegedly pulled out a gun and harassed her with both verbal and physical threats. The scared victim handed him his cream cheese and the suspect quickly drove off.

Wright was reportedly arrested by police on June 17 and was charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery.