2 robbers raid medical marijuana dispensary in Fremont | Crime

Bruised and bloodshot, a black eye on the right side of his face, Josh Salyards still reported to work the day after he was attacked at a Seattle clinic.

"I really do care about helping everybody, so that's why I'm still here, volunteering," Salyards said.

Salyards donates his time at Purple Cross Patient Care, a medical marijuana dispensary in Fremont. Despite five video cameras, one panic button, and a small window separating workers from patients, two men still robbed the clinic on Monday night, making off with more than 10 pounds of pot, police said.

"As soon as I turned around, (the thief) jumped the counter, and then, as soon as I looked back, it was like, "Bam!" and then I got pinned against this corner," Salyards recalled as the tape of his attack played in the background.

"He ran up and just socked me in the face like three times, and just started looting the safe," Salyards added.

"I'm basically just in awe of it, that somebody would come in. They didn't have any weapons; they didn't have anything. They just came in and beat up my volunteer," said Purple Cross founder and director David West. "It's uncalled for. It's really uncalled for."

Surveillance video shows two men lingering in the clinic waiting for another patient to leave. Once he departs, one thief locks the front door, and then the two engage in conversation with Salyards.

When Salyards turns to get something from the back of the clinic, one man - and then the other - jump the small counter that separates a waiting area from the clinic office. One of the men punches Salyards several times in the head, as the other ransacks the clinic's safe.

"Just take what you want. I don't want any trouble," Salyards is heard saying on the tape.

"I don't have anything!" he continues. "Dude, please, just leave!"

Police said the pair made off with 10 to 12 pounds of pot, which could have a street value of $30,000 or perhaps more. One of the men also took a laptop he believed was connected to the surveillance system. It was not.

"I was pretty much just in shock the whole time," Salyards said. "(But) the next morning I opened shop and worked, still, 'cause I know Purple doesn't really have anybody else here."

"We're always at risk. This is the world we live in," added West. "So are pharmacies. Regular pharmacies that sell regular pills. They get hit constantly."

"People are what's important and that's all we're trying to do here, is help others before worrying about ourselves," he continued. "You took from people that don't have anything. That was bad. You took from patients that are needy."

One of the men returned half of the stolen pot and the computer on Wednesday, West said. The man apologized for the attack.

He may also turn himself in as early as Friday, added Michael Reid, an attorney for Purple Cross.