Bay Area police are investigating several drug store robberies in which they say a man demanding oxycodone tells pharmacists he has a bomb.
The first robbery happened Dec. 11 at a 24-hour pharmacy at Walgreen's in Mountain View. Police shut down the Walgreen's, as well as the entire strip mall around it for hours, until the San Jose bomb squad could arrive to remove a suspicious package.
In the end, it was not a bomb at all.
"Anytime somebody is going to threaten a bomb and leave a device there, we’re not going to take any chances," Mountain View police Sgt. Saul Jaeger said. "We’re going to clear the building."
Police said the suspect took off on a motorcycle.
Two other similar robberies took place at a Walgreen's and Rite Aid in Morgan Hill in late December and early January, according to police.
Pharmacies across the country frequently report oxycodone thefts, as addicts and dealers look to source their drugs.
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"He could be addicted to pain medicine. He could be a dealer," Jaeger said. "We’re not exactly sure the reason why somebody would go and do this. All we do know is that he’s using the same method. He’s feigning to have a bomb, which in all three have turned out to be not."
Mountain View police are hoping, with the release of video and photos of the suspect, someone with information will come forward.
