A 41-year-old man was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on a complaint of Robbery with a Firearm after police say he handed a Walgreens pharmacy staff a note demanding oxycodone, then fled the Utica Square store with the pills in hand. Officers caught up with him less than a mile away, sitting near a highway exit ramp with the stolen pills on the ground beside him.
Police officers responded to the reported armed robbery around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Walgreens near East 21st Street and South Utica Avenue, according to FOX23. Employees told police the suspect walked in wearing a hospital gown around his neck, then implied he had a gun by grabbing at his waistband before handing over a note demanding oxycodone. Staff complied and handed over the pills, and the suspect fled the store, the station reports.
The Tulsa Police Department identified the suspect as Zachary Hynes, releasing his name and formal jail booking charge even though FOX23 chose not to broadcast it. Witnesses reported that Hynes ran toward Ascension St. John across the street after grabbing the pills, per the station's account.
Perimeter Search Ends Near the Expressway
Officers set up a perimeter and searched for the suspect after discovering he had already left the immediate area, FOX23 reports. Authorities ultimately found the 41-year-old sitting near the Broken Arrow Expressway exit ramp close to East 15th Street, according to the Tulsa Police Department. Police took him into custody without incident and found the stolen pills on the ground next to him.
The supplied sources document the current accusation but do not establish a similar prior incident or a recurring pattern at local retail pharmacies.
What Oklahoma Law Says About the Charge
Hynes has not been officially charged with a crime as of FOX23's report, which also noted the outlet is not sharing his name or mugshot. Under Oklahoma Statute Title 21 Section 801, committing or attempting a robbery with a firearm or dangerous weapon is a felony carrying a potential sentence of five years to life in prison, regardless of whether a gun is loaded, unloaded, or merely implied to instill fear, according to the Wirth Law Office. That means prosecutors do not need to recover a physical weapon to pursue armed robbery charges.
The stakes rise further given Oklahoma's parole rules. Oklahoma Statute Title 21 Section 13.1 classifies robbery with a firearm as an “85% crime,” meaning anyone convicted must serve at least 85 percent of a court-imposed sentence before becoming eligible for parole, per the Wirth Law Office. Under Oklahoma Title 21 Section 801, a defendant convicted of robbery with a firearm who has three separate and distinct felony convictions faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment, according to the Tulsa Criminal Defense Law Firm.
A Pattern Playing Out at Pharmacies Nationwide
In the Tulsa incident, pharmacy employees handed over the pills after the suspect demanded them, while police searched for him and later arrested him.
Utica Square was the site of the robbery. The article also included a link to a separate recent Walgreens safety story, but the supplied sources do not provide details about that report. It remains unclear from the supplied sources when formal felony charges will be filed against Hynes.
