REDMOND, Wash. — A Redmond pot shop was the latest to be victimized by a familiar trend of burglaries in western Washington.
The Hashtag Cannabis location on Leary Way was hit by a crash-and-grab involving a stolen KIA early on Tuesday morning, Redmond police said.
Video surveillance showed three suspects entering through the broken front door after the car smashed into the business and fleeing with an undetermined amount of product, police say. The suspects fled in a second stolen vehicle and were wearing black clothing and black masks, police say.
The total loss from the burglary is yet to be determined according to police, and no arrests have been made.
Hashtag Cannabis shared surveillance video of the break-in with KING 5, showing the three suspects brazenly backing into the store and gaining access through a broken door.
Hashtag Cannabis also gave a statement to KING 5, which read: "These attacks on small businesses are becoming all too common in our region and nationwide due to the ease of stealing these vehicles and it is small businesses that are bearing the brunt of the financial and emotional cost. Today, instead of doing their jobs, my team is cleaning up the mess of criminals and coming to terms with their place of work being invaded and damaged while I try to figure out how to make repairs and prevent it from happening again.
"We are also coming to terms with the fact that local governments are not doing enough to help deter the attacks. Unfortunately, our break in could have been prevented had the City of Redmond said yes to our request in January 2024 to install bollards or some other physical barrier along the sidewalk in front of our store. We urge Redmond and other cities to do more to protect and support their local businesses and communities."
The use of a stolen vehicle to ram into a pot shop has become a consistent strategy for suspects in the region. Josh Shade, who owns a series of locations of The Kushery, told KING 5 earlier this month that one of his stores was targeted twice in one week.
There were six attempted break-ins over the past month, and four were successful. The latest came just 10 days ago.
"Throughout the industry, this is happening every night," says Shade. "I ask my alarm center, and they tell me this happens every single night."
Shade's stores in Everett, Shoreline and Lake Forest Park have all been hit.
He estimates the property damage alone to be around $100,000.
Shade says just making the repairs is a full-time job.
"It puts everything on hold. If I was planning to upgrade, get new vendors, talk with my employees, everything gets put on hold," he says.
Now, Shade and dispensary owners across the state are pushing for Senate Bill 6133 that would essentially treat marijuana dispensaries like pharmacies -- adding a 12-month enhancement to the sentence of anyone who smashes into a cannabis store with a vehicle.
But more than that, Shade wants law enforcement's ability to chase nonviolent suspects restored.
"When the robbers leave, they jump in the car and drive away even if they have to nudge the cops a bit on the way," says Shade. "The cops can't chase them. I've talked to them many times and they feel defeated."
SB 6133 passed unanimously through the State Senate, 49-0.