At least 5 suspects caught on video looting Philadelphia pharmacy
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Independent pharmacies were hit hard by looting in Philadelphia in late September.
According to the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists (PARD), 15-20 pharmacies were looted in the mayhem, and some are struggling to stay open.
"One guy said, 'This is my last straw. I gotta get out,'" said Rob Frankil, the president of the PARD. "That's very sad to hear."
Investigators have released two new videos as they search for more suspects involved in violent nights of looting across North Philadelphia.
One piece of footage shows at least five suspects crawling through a broken window at a pharmacy on September 27.
This is on the 100 block of West Diamond Street.
After getting inside one of them pulled out a gun.
Police say the looters took handfuls of bags filled with medications before escaping back through the window.
The night before, a group smashed through the door of a business on the 200 block of West Lehigh Avenue.
Officials say once they forced their way inside, the suspects used tools to smash a lottery machine.
It's unclear how much, if anything, was taken.
Pharmacies are required to notify the state of the break-ins, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) if any controlled substances were stolen. That adds an extra headache for pharmacy owners.
"A bad day for a lot of pharmacy owners, for a lot of reasons. Not just the fact of the stress that 'I was broken into.' The administrative responsibility on the back end was also pretty bad," Frankil said.
Detectives are asking anybody with information to give them a call.
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