Armed robbery of dog treat store has Seattle businesses no longer accepting cash

Stores in Washington state are going cashless following spiking crime. Some stores in Seattle have even begun putting signs on their doors telling potential criminals there is no cash or computers inside and begging for them not break in.

The Seattle Barkery, a company that sells dog treats, had their Kirkland store targeted Tuesday night by an armed robber. The store posted on Instgram that all their locations are now going cashless.

Police have video and fingerprints of the suspect.

In an interview with The Ari Hoffman Show on 570 KVI, owner Dawn Ford said that "…a man came in, looked around, he was casing the place saw that our staff member was all alone. Then he pulled a gun on her and took the cash."

She decided to go cashless for all the locations because "I can’t put our staff at risk, I can’t put myself at risk. It’s just scary."

Ford also told Hoffman that other business owners have been experiencing the same thing and that crime is "rampant."

KOMO news reported on Thursday that repeated break-ins are forcing the oldest mom-and-pop sneaker shop in Downtown Seattle, Sneaker City to move. The store has been located for 20 of its 30 years of business across from Pike Place Market.

Business owner Caroline Cho told the outlet that they have been broken into 15 times in nearly two years. "Our doors were broken into multiple times so we stopped replacing the glass."

According to the Downtown Seattle Association, over 377 businesses have permanently closed since March of 2020.

The Target in downtown Seattle was allegedly robbed by the same person at least 22 times. The suspect has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1985, and is now back on the streets.

John Lomack, 56, who is homeless, was captured on surveillance cameras December 22, during an attempt to steal a UHD TV, fighting with store security that tried to stop the theft. He was previously banned from the store in October 2021 after he was accused of shoplifting from the location 21 times in three months.

Despite objections from prosecutors, Judge Kuljinder Dhillon released Lomack on his own recognizance. The judge has a record of releasing prolific offenders which includes lowering a $25,000 bail request to only $1,000 for a homeless man accused of gouging the eye of a Seattle police officer.

During his next court appearance, Judge Melinda Young released Lomack again without bail. Young, also has a history of leniency on prolific offenders, having lowered bail from $20,000 to $5,000 for a suspect accused of assault and robbery. His bail was paid by the Northwest Community Bail Fund, which bails out prolific offenders and a month later he was accused of stabbing a person to death.

Lomack's case illustrates an ongoing pattern in the Emerald city. Last April, a homeless man accused of assault, ended up fatally stabbing another man at the encampment where he was living after he was released by two King County judges who reduced his bond.

According to KOMO, prosecutors had requested the man be jailed with a $50,000 bail, but King County District Court Judge Joe Campa reduced it to $20,000. During his May arraignment for second-degree robbery and fourth-degree assault, Young reduced his bail to $5,000. Once again, the Northwest Community Bail Fund paid the bail and he was released which led to the fatal stabbing.

In the summer of 2021, King County Superior Court Judge Marcus Naylor reduced the bail of a homeless man accused of kicking a 14-year-old Jack Russell Terrier to death after assaulting the dog 67- year-old owner. Prosecutors requested the suspect be held on $25,000 bail but Naylor released him on his own personal recognizance. The suspect then failed to appear in court and had to be tracked down and apprehended.

Seattle saw an 8.5 percent increase in robberies last year, 1,613 robberies in 2021 compared to 1,487 in 2020. Seattle police also recorded a 13.3 percent increase in aggravated assault.