Brett Yoes, an English senior, was in the process of changing the message on the Highland Road Smoothie King sign Saturday afternoon when he heard a series of loud crashing noises across the street.
“I turned around and saw that the front glass door to the Ra Shop had been smashed through,” Yoes said. “A man crawled through the broken glass and ran away.”
Yoes then ran over to the store, which sells smoking paraphernalia, to see what had happened and if anyone was hurt.
“When I got there everyone was fine, but seemed pretty shaken up,” Yoes said.
According to a report filed by the Baton Rouge Police Department, a black male wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt attempted to purchase some merchandise from the Ra Shop using a counterfeit $100 bill.
When the clerk discovered that the money was counterfeit the manager, Charlie Brown, rushed to the door and locked it, trapping the customer in the store.
Brown called the police and the customer then smashed his way out of the store and fled.
Michael Gore, the night-time manager of the Ra Shop, said about a week ago a man came through and bought some merchandise with two counterfeit $100 bills and got away with it.
“This was more than likely the same guy,” Gore said.
Gore said Brown’s decision to lock the door may not have been the smartest thing to do, considering the customer’s size, but Brown had hoped to get the customer’s face on one of the store’s six security cameras.
“After Charlie locked him in, the guy quickly decided he wasn’t staying around for the police,” Gore said. “He picked up a stool and smashed his way through the front door and ran away. The girls that work here were pretty shaken up, but they’re fine.”
Police were able to retrieve a full hand-print from the stool and the security tapes are being reviewed.
“We’ve never had any problems like this in the past,” Gore said. “The people that stay around here watch out for the place.”
Gore also said despite flood waters getting into the store and the counterfeit incident, store business has been great.
The store is buying its workers mace and tazers just in case an incident similar to this one happens in the future.
Counterfeiting is a federal crime that falls under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service, who may or may not proceed with the case due to the small amount of counterfeit money involved.
According to the Secret Service, possession of counterfeit money with fraudulent intent is punishable by a fine or imprisonment up to 15 years.