Williamsburg Police have become involved a regional investigation to find what the Richmond Division of the FBI is calling a serial robber.
The suspect is believed to have been involved in robberies spanning five jurisdictions, according to an FBI news release.
FBI said a black male entered the CVS in Henrico County July 15, approached the pharmacy counter with a white cloth over his face and revealed to the attending pharmacist a black handgun tucked in his waistband.
The suspect allegedly demanded oxycodone pills – a powerful narcotic – and cash and fled the store, authorities said.
He was described during this incident as 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, 180 to 200 pounds, average build with a light complexion, a black beard and wearing a yellow jacket and baseball hat.
A similar incident happened in Mechanicsville July 26, authorities said. A black male allegedly entered the CVS in Charter Gate Drive, approached the pharmacy counter and motioned for the pharmacist.
The suspect, holding a white cloth over his face, displayed a handgun tucked in his waistband and demanded all the oxycodone pills.
FBI investigators said in a “moment of hesitation,” the suspect went behind the counter and gathered oxycodone and Percocet pills himself before leaving the building.
In this instance, he was described as 20 to 35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, 150 to 175 pounds, wearing a gray and blue shirt, blue pants, dark tennis shoes and a white ball cap with red lettering.
Less than three weeks later, on Aug. 13, a black male suspect with a white cloth over his face entered the CVS on Jefferson Davis Highway in Fredericksburg. Authorities say he approached the pharmacist and demanded the story’s supply of oxycodone while implying he had a weapon in his waistband.
The suspect again went behind the counter and took the pills. Authorities said he also attempted to take Percocet and Xanax but failed, grabbing cough syrup instead on his way out of the building.
The suspect was described as 25 years old and wearing a black short sleeved T-shirt, khaki or tan knee-length shorts, black high-top sneakers and a black baseball hat with the letter “B” on it and a large sticker on the brim.
A little over a month later on Sept. 16, a black male allegedly entered the CVS on Richmond Road in Williamsburg holding a white cloth over his face. FBI investigators say he displayed a handgun and demanded the store’s supply of oxycodone from the pharmacist.
In this instance, he was wearing a red shirt and a red and white hat.
On Oct. 10, the suspect entered a Rite Aid in Arlington, approached the pharmacist and asked where the oxycodone pills were kept as he displayed a black handgun in his waistband, authorities said.
The suspect — described as a black male covering his face with a white cloth and wearing a black long-sleeved sweater with a small product logo on the rear neck area, dark blue jeans, dark sneakers with white trim and red laces and a white and orange baseball hat — was unsuccessful in acquiring the oxycodone and left the building.
Later that day, a man matching that description entered a CVS pharmacy in Woodbridge and demanded oxycodone pills from the pharmacist while displaying a black handgun, FBI investigators said.
The suspect allegedly verbally threatened the pharmacist until he was given the pills and oxycodone in liquid form.
Most recently on Oct. 26, a black male holding a cloth over his head and wearing black pants, a gray short-sleeved shirt with a patch on the left sleeve and a white baseball hat entered the CVS on West Mercury Boulevard in Hampton and demanded oxycodone pills in specific doses while displaying a handgun, authorities said.
The suspect was seen in a white or silver Dodge Nitro SUV in several of the robberies, according to the release.
Maj. Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department told WYDaily another local law enforcement agency contacted the department shortly after the Williamsburg pharmacy was robbed and informed them of the regional investigation.
“At this time, I don’t have anything further than what the FBI put out in their particular press release,” Riley said.
He explained prescription drugs such as oxycodone are usually taken during pharmacy robberies. “Usually oxycodone is the drug of choice,” he said. “That’s not uncommon.”
Anyone with information on the suspect or any of the robberies is asked to call the FBI crime line at 804-261-1044 or email Richmond@ic.FBI.gov.
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