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In a second robbery of prescription drugs in less than a week at the CVS pharmacy at 700 El Camino Real, on Saturday (Oct. 28), a man with a gun in his waistband demanded Alprazolam pills from a pharmacy employee and fled on foot with the drugs before being arrested, Menlo Park police said.
In a robbery on Thursday (Oct. 26), the suspect, who police say is the same person they arrested on Saturday, also demanded Alprazolam and also displayed a gun in his waistband. In that incident, police searched but didn’t find him, but on Saturday, police quickly captured, arrested and booked the suspect, who they say was in possession of a loaded gun and the stolen prescription drugs, police said.
The man, a 50-year-old Menlo Park resident, was booked on suspicion of armed robbery, attempted robbery, possession of a firearm, possession of narcotics and resisting arrest, police said.
Alprazolam is used for treatment of anxiety, including anxiety caused by depression, and is also used to treat panic disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Police investigating the incidents determined that the same man had robbed the CVS pharmacy on Oct. 26 and that he had attempted to hold up the Walgreens pharmacy on Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park the previous day (Wednesday, Oct. 25).
In the incident on Saturday, the employee who responded to the demand for drugs recognized the man, called 911 and left the phone line open, allowing dispatchers to listen in while she attempted to stall him, police said.
Becoming impatient, the man “told the employee he needed his medication now” and lifted his shirt to show the gun, police said. At that point, the employee complied and gave the man the requested drugs, police said.
Officers arrived in less than a minute, police said, and began a search. The man had reportedly headed north after leaving the store and police found a man matching the description in the vicinity of Ravenswood Avenue and the Caltrain railroad tracks.
The man was about to leave the area on a bicycle when police ordered him to stop. He refused and was detained, police said. In searching him, police said, they found a loaded gun, a mask and the stolen narcotics.
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By Dave Boyce
By Dave Boyce
By Dave Boyce
Came by right as this was happening. There was a police motorcycle on the ground, any idea what happened? Did the officer drop it to assist or did he collide with the suspect on the bike?
Kudos to our police officers for excellent work! This was an ARMED robbery and this is a dangerous person who does not belong on our streets.