REDMOND, Wash. — Police are searching for about eight suspects who allegedly drove a car through the front door of a Redmond marijuana shop on Thursday and then stole merchandise from the store.
The incident happened around 4 a.m. at Hashtag Cannabis, 7829 Leary Way NE, according to Redmond police. Witnesses said they saw four vehicles circling the block before one crashed through the driveway.
“Approximately eight people wearing hoodies and masks entered the store and took an undetermined amount of merchandise,” police said. “They fled the scene in other vehicles and were not found.”
This is the fourth time in 12 months that Hashtag Cannabis has been targeted. Christine Bryant Darling, the marketing director, told KOMO News they are tired of this happening over and over again.
“This is a very big loss for us, both because of the damage to our storefront, the damage to our lobby and the loss of product,” Darling said.
Darling said they begged the city of Redmond to help them find a solution after being repeatedly robbed. Darling and the business’ owner asked for bollards to be put up, but instead the city opted to put planters in front of the building, surveillance video shows, after the thieves easily moved them out of the way.
“I had hoped that they would work, that they would be a sufficient deterrent to criminals keeping an eye on our business and scouting the site for possible entry. But they were not enough, this solution does not work. We need a new solution,” said Darling.
Darling said the city’s answer when asked if they should install bollards is always “no.” We went to city officials, who said there are several reasons why they are not allowed.
“There are currently no regulations that allow the City of Redmond to install bollards on public sidewalks because the sidewalks must be ADA accessible,” said Derek Wing, communications manager for the City of Redmond.
Another reason, city officials said, is that power, utility and fiber optic cables run beneath the store’s sidewalk, which the city said could cause power interruptions to other businesses.
One solution recommended by the city was for owners to lock up their products after closing time, but Darling said that wasn’t feasible.
“The operating costs of removing all of our inventory from the sales floor and our displays are simply too high,” she added.
Darling said while she understands certain limitations in putting up bollards, they are willing to pay for any physical barrier that would put an end to these break-ins. She said they are still in talks with the city to find a solution.
Officers found a stolen vehicle “in front of the heavily damaged building,” which was empty at the time, police said. No injuries were reported, police added.
Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 425-556-2500.
Police said photos of the suspects will be released as soon as they become available.
