A Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory cannabis shop was seemingly targeted by thieves and the alleged attempted robbery was caught on security camera.
The video from the Sept. 6 incident has been shared on YouTube and viewed more than 160,000 times.
Three men in hoodies burst into the Recreational Cannabis Farmers Market on Old Highway 2 in Shannonville and start pepper-spraying the man and woman who are staffing the store.
Later in the video, the male employee grabs a large bong and starts swinging at the would-be thieves, then smashes it over one of them.
Joshua Lewis-Brant and his wife were the employees working that afternoon and they said they sensed something suspicious when a car drove up to the front door with its licence plate covered.
“My wife looked out the door and saw three masked people approaching the door and she turned to me and said that these people were up to no good which gave a couple of seconds to prepare for what I had to do,” said Lewis-Brant.
Brant, his wife, and lifelong friend and co-worker Midi Chief say they are using this experience and other crimes that they’ve had to deal with while living on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory to inspire the music they are creating to change the mindsets of people.
“I have this fire burning within me and I just want to share my passion for my people and create music that can make a real difference. Music has the power to fix issues,” said Chief.
Chief and Brant are currently working on lyrics for an album that they say will focus on their upbringing and what needs to be done to reverse pre-existing stereotypes.
The Tyendinaga Police Service is actively investigating the alleged attempted robbery and is searching for three male suspects.
Brant told Global News that the store has intensified its security to ensure a robbery does not occur again and confirmed that no one was injured.