An Anchorage woman was arrested Thursday evening after her attempt to rob a Spenard smoke shop with a gun and a large hunting knife was thwarted by the store owner.
Tonya Holler, 33, entered Smokes 4 Less, located at 3020 Minnesota Dr., around 7:21 p.m. Thursday, browsed the store and pulled out a handgun, Renee Oistad with the Anchorage Police Department wrote in an online alert.
Holler then “demanded that the owner of the shop give her the money in the cash drawer,” according to Oistad. The owner, Young Jun, initially listened to demands and stepped back, giving Holler access to the cash register.
As the thief emptied the register, Jun grabbed the gun, Oistad wrote, eventually taking it and tossing it onto the storeroom floor. During the struggle, Holler pulled out a “large hunting-style knife.” Jun was able to gain control of this weapon and also tossed it onto the storeroom floor.
While Jun was struggling with Holler, she activated a panic button and continuously yelled for help, according to Oistad. She was able to pin Holler against the store’s countertop. A young man leaving a nearby restaurant ran into the shop to assist Jun in holding Holler until authorities arrived.
According to police, Holler was wanted on separate felony warrants for robbing two Spenard area coffee stands, the Kodiak Cup and Aftershock Espresso. She confessed to robbing both when police questioned her. She stated “she did not have a drug problem but was doing the robberies to pay for rent,” according to a police affidavit.
She said the gun used in the robbery was “not real,” and acknowledged the victims did not know that, but admitted to trying to stab Jun during the robbery with a knife.
She was taken into custody and charged with one count of first-degree robbery and two counts of third-degree associated with Thursday’s robbery attempt.
