Seattle pot shop employee run over by shoplifter now in the ICU
Jan 20, 2026, 6:46 AM
Cop lights activated on top of a police vehicle. (MyNorthwest file photo)
(MyNorthwest file photo)
An employee with Kemp’s Cannabis is now in the ICU after getting run over by a shoplifter on Friday.
Security video showed a woman in the shop talking with the employee.
As the employee steps away, the woman looks around, then suddenly grabs a bag off the counter.
KIRO 7 was told it had less than $50 worth of marijuana.
The employee, realizing what happened, chases after the woman as she runs across the street to her Jeep.
“As soon as the budtender saw her leave, he went after her and tried to take a picture of her and he got a picture of her in her car and she decided to run over him,” General Manager Tran Du said. “You saw the video – it looked like he was dead.”
Du said his employee, a father of two, was rushed to Harborview with head injuries and a broken ankle.
Du said the shop has dealt with crime on multiple occasions, but this is different.
“This is involving somebody getting hurt, that’s the big issue. It’s like, come take the weed, whatever, but now there’s somebody that got injured from this,” Du said.
Du believes with all the video and photo evidence, an arrest should quickly follow – but he said he’s frustrated, not getting information from police.
“We’re basically handing the case on a silver platter, just go find this lady, let us know what’s going on,” said Du.
SPD said they are investigating.
The shop is now offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
