Pharmacies targeted by burglars in Snohomish County (VIDEO)



MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- A pair of masked burglars stole prescription drugs from a pharmacy early Thursday morning, according to police.

Investigators said thieves have hit three pharmacies in just the past two days across Snohomish County; first in Monroe on Wednesday, then again Thursday morning in Everett and Marysville.

So far investigators aren’t certain if they are all connected, but the burglaries have happened very early in the morning.

The latest happened at Hilton Pharmacy in Marysville, where employees spent Thursday morning cleaning shattered glass.

Security cameras inside and outside the store caught a pair of masked crooks tossing a rock into the window just after 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

The duo made their way behind the counter to steal codeine cough syrup, muscle relaxers and Valium.

“They were in and out very quickly and grabbed what they could,” said Commander Robb Lamoureux with the Marysville Police Department. “I don’t know that they really had enough time to target anything.”

The burglary was fast, lasting only several minutes before the thieves took off running.

Marysville Police caught one of two suspects; he had to be tasered before being cuffed.

The other took off in a getaway car down State Avenue but police called off the chase after it got too dangerous.

Only 30 minutes before Hilton’s got hit, a burglary crew busted their way into the Shiraz Pharmacy in Everett. They got away with several powerful prescription drugs.

“I just think that our communities are at risk,” said Bridgett Edgar, owner of Pharm-A-Save pharmacy in Monroe.

Police said thieves targeted Edgar’s store early Wednesday morning in but they only managed to shatter a window. The suspects have not been caught.

“I think the criminals are getting more desperate,” said Edgar. “Luckily they broke in when we weren’t open and it was a burglary and not a robbery.”

Edgar is now telling her employees to pay close attention to their surroundings, especially during opening or closing times. But even with security cameras, Edgar worried that more burglaries will likely happen in the future.

“Prescription drug abuse is huge in America so it’s not a new topic,” she said.

The suspect arrested in connection to Thursday’s burglary in Marysville is an 18-year-old man from Seattle, according to investigators. Some of the stolen drugs were found inside his backpack.

Two other suspects may have fled in a late model Cadillac. Anyone with information is asked to call police.