ALTON - Two 24-hour pharmacies in Alton have been targeted for what appears to be a dangerous pattern over the last week.
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In the early hours of Sunday morning, around 1 a.m., two armed suspects robbed the CVS Pharmacy on Washington in Alton. They were described as 2 black males in their early-to-mid 20s wearing dark-colored hooded sweatshirts. One was wearing dark jeans and the other wore shorts. They were described as medium to tall with average to slender builds. One of them had a spiderweb tattoo design on his left hand and fingers.
A second incident occurred around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning when two armed suspects entered the Walgreens on Washington, which is in close proximity to the CVS originally robbed. In that case, Alton Police Chief of Detectives Gary Cranmer said force was used and a female cashier was seriously injured in the altercation.
Suspects in the second robbery were described as black males wearing dark jeans and gray shirts as well as hats. They may have been in their mid-to-late 20s and were average or above average build. Cranmer said he believes the two incidences to be related, but could not comment regarding whether the two suspects were the same in each incident.
Money was not the target of these robberies, however. Cranmer said suspects took a large amount of opioid pain medication, including oxycodone and hydrocodone. Cranmer said usage and abuse of these medications is a national problem. He said suspects made off with as much as $30,000 worth of pills in the first incident, but could not comment on the second. He said he believed the suspects intended to sell the stolen pills.
No vehicle has been identified in either case, but police said suspects in the first robbery utilized Route Three to escape. Alton Police Chief Jake Simmons said pill bottles were discovered along Route Three following that robbery. Suspects in the second incident escaped via College Avenue.
The cashier injured in the second robbery is in stable condition and recovering at a St. Louis hospital at this time.
Anyone with any information on the robbery is asked to contact the Alton Police Department at (618) 463-3505.
