Dearborn police seek suspect in pharmacy robbery

Police on Wednesday released chilling video of an armed robber threatening Dearborn pharmacy employees before fleeing with stolen property.

The footage depicts a 1:30 p.m. June 25 robbery at Cherry Hill and Outer Drive, police said. The suspect is described by officials as a black male with a thin build, 20-30 years old with a sleeve tattoo on his right arm.

He was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt, khaki cargo shorts and a blue baseball cap at the time of the attack, police said.

In one angle of footage, shot from the pharmacy door, the man is seen entering the establishment and brandishing a weapon at two employees standing at a desk in the top left corner of the screen. One employee dropped a telephone and fled to a back room, while another dropped to the floor.

Further footage shows the suspect apparently retrieve items from behind the counter before leaving the store on foot. Police did not specify what was stolen.

A second angle provides a chilling, up-close view of the employees reacting to the suspect’s attack. The man entered the store and pulled a piece of fabric over his nose and mouth before producing his weapon.

The female employee again can be seen fleeing into a back room while a male dropped to the floor, with his hands in the air. He repeatedly flinched away from the weapon as the suspect approaches and appeared to make demands while holding the victim down by his shoulder.

The male employee eventually opened a cupboard under the counter, backed away and retrieved a dark bag, which he handed to the suspect. The suspect filled the bag and fled the store, leaving the male employee visibly shaken and hanging his head.

Dearborn police need the public’s help identifying and locating the suspect.

“Our No. 1 priority is citizen safety,” Chief Ronald Haddad said in a statement. “We will do everything in our power to ensure the perpetrator is identified and brought to justice. We are urging the public to assist us in identifying this dangerous individual.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (313) 943-3030 or Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) SPEAK-UP.

HFournier@detroitnews.com

(313) 223-4616

Twitter: @HollyPFournier