Austin's local pharmacy chain PeoplesRx was struck by robbers at two separate stores on Monday night, resulting in stolen medication and property damage, "We are relieved this senseless invasion took place after hours and no employees were at risk," PeoplesRx CEO Stephen Erickson explained in a statement obtained by CBS Austin, highlighting the lack of threat to staff but expressing concern over the financial impact of repairs and cleanup.
The thieves, caught on camera wearing blue sweatshirts attempted to force entry with a crowbar and sledgehammer at the Lakeline location at 1:30 a.m. on March 19, failed to open the door they then proceeded to the South Lamar location where they successfully gained access, as reported by FOX 7 Austin, "Spent about 3 to 4 minutes running around in the store checking the cash registers, pulling all the change out of there, we don’t keep any money in our stores overnight," Erickson said, detailing the intruders' actions during the breach.
The robbers pilfered bottles of antibiotics and diuretics, avoiding cash and controlled substances, which are kept in secured vaults according to the pharmacy's protocol. The losses in drugs appear minimal, but the company is faced with securing the premises and replacing damaged property, "Physically, we’ve got to figure out how to secure doors and replace equipment, emotionally, it’s hard for employees because they come into the store and feel like their space has been violated," Erickson illuminated the situation in a FOX 7 Austin interview.
The Austin Police Department arrived at both scenes around 20 minutes after the alarms were triggered, the timely response was unfortunately not sufficient to apprehend the suspects "Grateful for that response, but had they been able to show up 2 or 3 minutes after the alarm went off, we believe their car was parked right here in the parking lot, they could have pulled in and blocked the car in and hopefully apprehended the suspects," Erickson reflected on the response time in an interview with CBS Austin.
These incidents mark a series of burglaries targeting the pharmacy chain, with four or five break-ins in the past two years. The Austin Police Department urges anyone with information to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation into the robberies.
