Pharmacy customer gets knife held to throat from drug-seeking suspect in University Place
A customer standing in line at a University Place pharmacy was briefly held hostage Wednesday evening when a robbery suspect allegedly held a knife to her victim’s throat, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The 34-year-old female suspect entered the pharmacy in the 3800 block of Bridgeport Way West around closing time at 9 p.m., according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The suspect demanded opioid drugs from the pharmacy staff, the Sheriff’s Department said.
A staff member filled a bag with bottles of the narcotic oxycodone. Pharmacies normally keep the addictive painkiller in areas inaccessible to the public.
The suspect allegedly cut the victim’s hand before fleeing with the drugs.
Officers located the suspect in a vehicle, but she initially eluded them. They located and arrested her a few minutes later, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Darren Moss. The suspect was booked into the Pierce County Jail for assault, robbery and eluding.
The victim, 40, was transported to an area hospital where she was treated for her injuries, Moss said.
The robbery came a day after another robbery at the same pharmacy, according to Moss. In that robbery, a male suspect used a gun to threaten staff. He allegedly dropped and later picked up the gun during the robbery. That suspect was at large Thursday evening.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 5:13 PM.
