Rantz: Tacoma business owner robbed at gunpoint says ‘not a matter of if, but when’ crime crisis impacts you

A small business owner in Tacoma told police she was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight while working in her coffee shop. She’s now warning the public that “it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when” you will be a victim next.

Payton Jones was working alongside an employee at Revive Coffee, a drive-thru she’s owned for 10 years, last Thursday when a masked woman approached her with what the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) believes was a rifle concealed under a blanket or jacket. Jones said she quickly shut the drive-thru window, but the woman banged on it with the weapon until it opened. The ordeal was caught on video surveillance.

Jones’ employee ran to the back as the suspect shouted demands for money from the register.

“I tried to comply as quick as I could,” Jones told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

But it wasn’t fast enough for the suspect, Jones explained. On the surveillance video, the suspect repeatedly shouted, “Hurry the f**** up” and threatened to kill her if she didn’t. Jones begs the woman, “Please don’t” while she complied.

While the robbery was over in just under a minute, Jones said “It felt like forever.” After handing over about a hundred dollars in cash, the suspect even asked for what was in the tip jar. Then, in just a few seconds, the suspect jumped into the passenger side of a waiting vehicle and fled. PCSO has not yet been able to identify any suspects.

‘HURRY UP. I DON’T WANT TO KILL YOU’

Revive Coffee owner Payton and an employee were victim to an armed robbery in broad daylight. Here’s the disturbing surveillance.

Payton joins me today at 5:30pm on @770KTTH to tell us about this harrowing experience. pic.twitter.com/69vYIenr4B

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 15, 2024

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Tacoma crime victim warns you could be next as crisis worsens

Jones never thought she’d be the victim of a crime in Tacoma, though she knows Western Washington has been dealing with a crime crisis as a result of soft-on-crime policies and legislation favored by Democrats. One new study ranks Washington the most dangerous state in the country.

“I’ve followed Tacompton files. I follow news outlets like Fox 13. I have my ring camera app, which notifies me of things going on in the area, which is crazy. All this stuff going on around here,” Jones explained. “And I’m gonna be honest, I felt like, you know, with all these crazy things going on, very sad, but, ‘It’s not gonna be me. That won’t happen to me.’ Like, ‘Nope, I’m not gonna be a victim to something like that.’ And I guess this has just been kind of a reality check and also very humbling and also a learning experience. But, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when, at this point, because the crime is so bad in our community, here in Pierce County… in King County, all over our state, and even in our country.”

The coffee shop owner said she blames the crime crisis on lawmakers who aren’t thinking about their law-abiding constituents enough. She wonders why they wouldn’t want to help their own communities fight crime.

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The coffee shop owner still feels like things will change

Despite this traumatic experience, Jones isn’t letting the threat of more crime in Tacoma stop her from operating her business. And she even thinks things will be better after this next election.

“I am hopeful that things are going to turn around because I think a lot of Americans, Washingtonians, and the working class, I think, are fed up with it,” Jones said. “You know, we work so hard to make a living and to get our bills paid, and to have these criminals just take, take, take, and it’s always our responsibility to pick up the pieces at the end, which costs us more money, raises our insurance, our taxes are through the roof. I think people are fed up, and I am hopeful that Dave Reichert will be elected, because … common sense would tell you that he is the better choice in this situation.”

Reichert is a former Republican congressman and former King County Sheriff who is running for governor. He faces Attorney General Bob Ferguson, a Democrat who favored the criminal justice reforms that created this crime crisis. He has since done an about-face and said he hopes to keep Washingtonians safe.

But Jones isn’t buying it, saying his “policies don’t work for us, don’t work for the working class, don’t work for our poor communities.”

“Unfortunately, the only way that people are going to really open their eyes to this kind of stuff is if it comes knocking on their door. Not a matter of if, it’s when and when that time comes. I think that’s what’s really going to open their eyes,” Jones said.

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Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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