Robber hits a Safeway pharmacy for painkillers

A man with a gun held up the Safeway pharmacy near Northeast 63rd Street and Andresen Road on Monday evening and escaped with OxyContin painkiller pills.

The robbery is the latest of a string of pharmacy holdups seeking painkillers, possibly involving the same man, said Sgt. Bill Roberts with the Clark County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's deputies and officers with the Vancouver Police Department rushed to the store in the Walnut Grove area shortly after 6:15 p.m.

The gunman demanded a large quantity of the pills and threatened to kill three employees, according to a sheriff's bulletin.

He escaped with the drugs despite the efforts of several officers who took positions around the area and also notified C-Tran bus employees of the holdup, in case he used public transportation.

The robber was described as white, 5 feet 9 inches tall, of medium build and about 50. He wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans.

A detective with the sheriff's Major Crimes Unit was sent to process the scene for evidence.

The sheriff's Tactical Detective Unit is investigating.

At least two similar painkiller robberies have been reported recently, according to The Columbian's files:

• The Safeway pharmacy at 2615 N.E. 112th Ave., in the Burton area, was robbed about 6:45 p.m. on May 5.
• On the evening of April 21, the same man who hit the Burton store is believed to have robbed the Safeway pharmacy at 6700 N.E. 162nd Ave., east of Orchards.