The teen behind a robbery at a Kennewick coffee stand will spend the next 13 years behind bars.
Superior Court Judge Jackie Stam said Alden Sanchez Dominguez was extremely lucky that it didn’t become much worse during his sentencing hearing Friday afternoon.
“I will just say that you were very lucky that you were not physically injured and you are extremely lucky that your gun misfired,” she said.
Sanchez Dominguez, 19, was sentenced Friday nearly two years after he tried to shoot a pregnant barista during a robbery at a Wake Up Call coffee stand on Carmichael Street on Feb. 25, 2025.
He previously pleaded guilty in Benton County Superior Court to first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and illegal firearm possession. He faced between 11 and 15 years in prison.
State law allows prosecutors to charge 16- and 17-year-olds, including Sanchez Dominguez, as adults if they are accused of committing certain crimes, such as first-degree robbery.
While the judge said he was very lucky, Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger called it miraculous that the revolver used by Sanchez Dominguez misfired three times, saving the life of the barista who was working her last shift.
He explained if the barista had been killed, Sanchez Dominguez would have faced a first-degree murder charge. He asked for a 15-year prison sentence, which is the top end of the range.
But the victim said the crime hadn’t left her unscarred. She said the minutes after running from the building and waiting for police were the longest in her life.
“I was not only afraid for myself. I was afraid for the baby inside of me who had no choice,” she said in an impact statement that was read during the hearing. “More than a year later, the memory has not left me. I still have regular nightmares where I wake up convinced somebody is in the house or at the window or that I am back behind the counter with a gun in my face.”
His defense attorney Karla Kane argued that Sanchez Dominguez was 17-years-old at the time of the crime and couldn’t fully appreciate what he was doing. He didn’t have any meaningful guidance from family or other adults, so he turned to gang members for support.
“Alden had a very traumatic childhood and a very traumatic upbringing,” she said. “As you can see there’s no one in the court to support him.”
Sanchez Dominguez apologized for the impact of his crime, saying he was committing the robbery to help his mother to pay rent. He promised to use his time in prison to improve himself.
“All I can do now is to try my hardest to find a better way to live,” he said.
Stam found that while his youth played some role, it wasn’t enough to drop the sentence below the sentencing range for the crimes. She sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
The robbery started with a stolen Hyundai Accent circling the Carmichael Street coffee shop about 5:30 a.m. The car had been taken from Richland.
Security video shows Sanchez Dominguez crawl through the drive-thru window with a black revolver. Once he was through the window, he tucked the gun into his pants and grabbed money from the register, court documents said.
While he was taking the cash, the female employee started getting money from her purse. She had a gun hidden inside and didn’t want the robber to take it, court documents said.
After he grabbed money from the register, Sanchez Dominguez move toward her. The employee pulled out her gun and told Sanchez Dominguez to leave, court documents said.
Sanchez Dominguez backed up, dropped the cash and pulled his gun.
Afraid for her and her unborn child, the woman told investigators she fired but missed his leg, then ran out of the shop.
Sanchez Dominguez pointed his gun at her and pulled the trigger several times. After his gun didn’t fire, he chased her, court documents said.
Once he realized she escaped, Sanchez Dominguez fled. He was arrested during a traffic stop later that day.
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