Arrest made in relation to Queen Street Pharmacy robberies
"Arrest made in relation to Queen Street Pharmacy robberies "
A man will appear in the Hutt Valley District Court today charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of attempted aggravated robbery after being arrested last night.
The Queen St Pharmacy in Upper Hutt was first robbed on the evening on Sunday, October 7.
A 29-year-old
entered the store’s Andrews Lane entrance at 7.10pm and
confronted two employees with a large knife, demanding
prescription medication.
After receiving a quantity of
drugs he left the shop.
Police were called again around 10.50am on Saturday, October 13, following another robbery in which the man made off with a small amount of prescription medication.
The man was arrested after allegedly attempting to rob the pharmacy for a third time yesterday evening.
At 6.51pm the man, armed with a craft knife, tried to enter the back door of the pharmacy.
Staff
locked the door and the offender left the scene.
In
response, Police set up cordons and carried out thorough
area enquiries.
Investigative work had already
established a positive line of enquiry in regards to a
suspect and at 8.20 pm the man was located in the Totara
Park area and arrested.
Inspector James McKay said the
outcome is pleasing.
"This arrest is the result of great
coordinated Police work in conjunction with the assistance
of the pharmacy staff.
“Aggravated robberies are
vicious crimes and are incredibly traumatic for the victims
involved.
"We hope this shows the community that Police
do not tolerate this type of offending and we are committed
to making sure people are held accountable for their
actions."
ENDS