Arrest warrants issued for two teenagers in deadly shooting at Washington Dispensary

Arrest warrants have been issued in Washington for two teenagers allegedly involved in an armed robbery at a state cannabis dispensary that killed an employee, and a string of other armed robberies in the area.

The Chronicle newspaper reports that Montrell Hatfield, 16, and Marshon Jones, 15, “are wanted in connection with a fatal shooting at a Tacoma marijuana dispensary and at least 10 armed robberies at marijuana stores in Pierce and King counties.”

On March 19, a World of Weed employee in Tacoma, later identified as 29-year-old Jordan Brown, was fatally shot in the neck.

The Chronicle, citing court documents, reported that during the incident, “Hatfield fought with a clerk behind the counter and Jones fatally shot the clerk in the neck.”

“After ordering everyone to get on the floor, Hatfield reportedly fired a warning shot into the ceiling and approached the manager and other employees. He gave them garbage bags and ordered them to put all the money in them,” the newspaper reported. “Brown threw the garbage bag back at Hatfield, raised his hands and stepped back, records say. According to witnesses and surveillance footage, Hatfield and Brown then began fighting on the ground. Jones allegedly stopped the fight by shooting Brown in the neck. As the teenagers ran to the door, Jones said to Hatfield, ‘Don’t worry about her,’ the notes say.”

Prosecutors in Pierce County, Washington “have charged Hatfield with first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm,” while “Jones has also been charged.” A “third man who acted as a lookout while they robbed the stores at gunpoint has not been identified,” according to The Chronicle.

The newspaper said that prosecutors “expect to file future charges against the teens in four marijuana dispensary robberies in Tacoma and one in Pierce County,” and that the teens are also “suspected in five similar robberies in King County.” “.

On the same day as the fatal robbery, Hatfield and Jones allegedly robbed a pharmacy in Seattle and unsuccessfully attempted to rob another in Tacoma.

Armed robberies of cannabis dispensaries have increased at an alarming rate in Washington, which made history when it legalized adult recreational marijuana use through a ballot initiative in 2012. Last week, citing data from state trade group Craft Cannabis Coalition, the Seattle Times reported that “there have been approximately 67 armed robberies so far in 2022,” up from 34 and 27 in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The trend has prompted lawmakers and other Washington officials to sound the alarm about the vulnerability of cannabis facilities, which typically hold large amounts of cash. Earlier this month, State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti traveled to Washington, D.C. to push for passage of the Secured and Fair Enforcement Banking (SAFE) Act, which would allow banks to provide financial services to cannabis companies — something the federal cannabis ban currently bars them from from doing.

“They rob the places where the cash is,” Pellicciotti said, as quoted by local TV station KING5. “These robberies are tragic. But these robberies are also preventable.”

Last month, Republican Senator Jim Honeyford introduced a bill that would have added an additional year to the prison sentence for anyone convicted of first- or second-degree robbery of a cannabis store, the same sentence reserved for those who rob a dispensary.

“When people asked the notorious bank robber Willie Sutton why he robbed banks, Sutton simply replied, ‘Because that’s where the money is.’ Well, that’s why people rob marijuana dealers,” Honeyford said at the time. “Due to state banking regulations, these stores are almost exclusively cash transactions, making them a target for robberies and a magnet for criminals.”