A Peterborough pharmacy owner took matters into his own hands to thwart an attempted robbery at his business on Friday afternoon.
Mark Scanlon, owner of Mather & Bell IDA Pharmacy, says around the noon hour a man wearing a yellow hat and carrying a duffle bag suddenly ran into the Park St. S. south pharmacy.
According to Scanlon, the suspect told staff he was carrying a gun and ordered them to get on the ground while demanding narcotics and money from a vault.
However, Scanlon says the vault is on a time-delayed lock and he told the man they could not access any drugs at that moment.
“He did threaten to shoot but when he pulled his hand out from his pocket he had no gun,” Scanlon told CHEX News.
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Scanlon says he then approached the suspect and told him to leave the pharmacy.
The suspect left but Scanlon gave chase and snatched the duffle bag. The suspect then allegedly punched the pharmacist.
“I’ve got a couple of daughters who punch harder than him,” said Scanlon.
Peterborough Police Service were called and located a suspect within 10 minutes, said Scanlon.
Police confirmed a man is in custody but that the investigation is ongoing. No other details were available.
Scanlon says this was the third robbery attempt since he took over the business three and a half years ago. He says opioid abuse is a growing concern, referencing an apparent overdose earlier this week at a house near the pharmacy.
“Unfortunately a lot of people are trying to get drugs by any means possible,” he said. “We certainly hear a lot of bad things about Fentanyl -it’s a huge element of the opioid crisis going on today. We have naloxone kits that are available for free for anyone using narcotics.”
UPDATE: Police officers along with the K-9 unit attended the area to search for the suspect. Witnesses were able to point the direction of travel of the suspect. The K-9 unit was able to successfully track the suspect and arrest him.
Curt Douglas Pelley, 35, of no fixed address was arrested and charged with robbery with intent, disguise with intent and failure to comply with a probation order. He appeared held in custody and appeared before WASH court on August 12.
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