Woman robs Rite Aid pharmacy at gunpoint
ALBANY, Ore. -- A woman with a semiautomatic handgun stole $5,000 worth of the narcotic OxyContin from the Rite Aid pharmacy Monday night.
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A pharmacy employee told police that just prior to 7 p.m., a female suspect approached the pharmacy counter, displayed a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded the narcotic OxyContin.
The employee complied with the demand and gave the female suspect over $5,000 worth of Oxycontin, after which time the female suspect fled from the store.
Video surveillance shows the suspect as a female adult, about 5-foot-8 in height, with a stocky build, and brown hair.
She was wearing a dark colored stocking cap and a brown sweatshirt with the hood pulled up.
After the female suspect demanded the OxyContin, the surveillance video shows she pulled up a dark colored bandana to cover her face.
Anyone with information on this robbery is asked to call the Albany Police Department at 541-917-7680.
Drugstore Cowboys hit Oregon pharmacies
The Albany robbery is the second major OxyContin heist in Western Oregon this week, a region featured in the Gus Van Sant's 1989 film "Drugstore Cowboy" that chronicled the life of a prescription drug addict played by Matt Dillon. The character and his cohorts made a habit of robbing Oregon pharmacies.
The pharmacy at Walgreens' Southeast Stark Street store was robbed Sunday morning by a man who appeared fresh from the slopes.
Donned in a ski hat, sunglasses, a ski jacket, blue jeans, gloves and a scarf wrapped over his face, a man witnesses describe as "thin," "white" and "in his early 20s" reportedly demanded OxyContin from the pharmacist, brandished a black-and-silver handgun and hopped the pharmacy counter.
He got the OxyContin - nearly $4,000 worth - and he got away.
Troutdale authorities said the robbery occurred at 10:11 a.m.
They report that the man went directly to the pharmacy at the rear of the store, where police said he held the pharmacist up at gunpoint and demanded the "OxyContin" before taking "numerous bottles" of the highly addictive prescription drug. Oxycontin is one brand of the drug oxycodone, which the Federal Drug Administration in 2008 named as one of the top 10 drugs for misuse, abuse and overdose.
Watch the KATU News report on the Troutdale heist:
