by Anna Hovey
Four laptops were stolen from the Starbucks on Baltimore Avenue on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 16th. Police obtained the getaway car’s license plate number and the serial numbers of the laptops, but no arrests have been made in connection to the robbery at this time.
Senior neurobiology and physiology double major Olivia Westrich was at Starbucks studying with friends when her laptop was taken. Her friend Alli Buller’s laptop was also stolen, along with those of student Lucia Kim and another customer both at a neighboring table. Westrich remembers the coffee shop being particularly busy that night.
“At first I thought it was a friend taking my laptop as a joke because I was literally typing on it when it was stolen,” Westrich said over email. “My friend and I froze, we were in complete shock because someone stealing our laptops was the last thing we expected.”
Westrich, who said she is a regular at Starbucks, was surprised she was robbed with so many people around. She said she noticed a hand grab the top of her laptop, but couldn’t identify the culprits because they had hoodies on. She said there were two robbers, both young with thin builds.
Prince George’s County Police Department was called immediately, according to Westrich, and she and the other victims filed reports with them. She said that there were a couple of suspects when last she heard.
“I am not insured for the loss of my laptop,” Westrich said in an email. “I had to purchase a brand new one which was really stressful financially and frustrating,” she added.
Westrich said she hasn’t returned to the Starbucks in question since she was robbed.
“I honestly feel really unsafe now… It is upsetting to me that my safe space has been violated,” she said over email. “I know I should not be naive but to have your laptop stolen from right out under you is still quite shocking to me.”
Sophomore computer science major Vibhor Goel was also on the scene around 8 p.m. when the robbery took place.
“I just saw two guys standing calmly and suddenly snatching laptops and run away,” Goel said in an email. “I was astonished by the fact that there were 20-25 people in Starbucks at that time and that the burglary happened in front of so many people.”
Goel said he thinks that the perpetrators should receive a heavy fine once they’re caught. He added that Starbucks could avoid similar crimes in the future by hiring security guards.
“If any kind of personal data is lost from the laptops, they should compensate the victims,” Goel said in an email.
On Dec. 9, a representative from PGPD’s media relations division said there were not any updates in the case yet.
“It’s frustrating… I know they have other cases but with the footage from Starbucks/[the] parking lot and having the car license plate number you’d think that they’d be able to figure it out fairly quickly,” Westrich said in a message. “But I’m not a police officer or detective so I guess I don’t know how it works.”
Westrich said no one from PGPD has reached out to update her, and she wonders if they ever will.
Starbucks customer care said they are unable to grant personal interviews due to the large volume of messages they receive. They referred staff at Stories Beneath the Shell to the annual report on their website.
“The Starbucks Experience is built upon superior customer service and a seamless digital experience as well as clean and well-maintained stores,” a section of the report reads. “Business incidents, whether isolated or recurring… that erode consumer trust… particularly if the incidents receive considerable publicity… can significantly reduce brand value… result in civil and criminal liability and have a negative impact on our financial results.”