Napa Police Make Arrest In CVS Pharmacy Robbery

NAPA, CA — The Napa Police Department announced an arrest this week in connection with a robbery last December in which thousands of dollars worth of prescription drugs were taken from a CVS Pharmacy.

In the robbery reported around 9:30 p.m. Dec. 29, police said a man jumped the counter to the pharmacy area at CVS, 1558 Trancas St., and confronted several employees. According to police, the suspect grabbed one of the pharmacist’s arms and took him to the store’s safe.

"The employees believed the suspect was armed as he kept one hand under his shirt near his waistband," Napa police Sgt. Peter Piersig said. "The suspect demanded oxycodone as an employee opened the safe."

The suspect filled half a pillowcase with several thousand dollars worth of hydrocodone and promethazine, then jumped over the counter and left the store, police said.

Responding officers searched the area for the suspect but did not find him.

That same night, a CVS Pharmacy in Benicia was also robbed of prescription medication by a similar-looking suspect wearing the same distinct clothing.

"Surveillance video from both cases showed there was a second suspect involved," Piersig said.

Detectives worked on the case and identified one of the two suspects as 28-year-old Tyrone Smith from the Sacramento area, the sergeant said. Smith was also identified as possibly being involved in similar robberies in Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Through surveillance, detectives identified a house in the 3000 block of Meadow Run Walk in Sacramento as the place where they believed Smith was staying.

A detective secured an arrest warrant for Smith and a search warrant for the house.

On Monday night, Smith was stopped by a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy unrelated to this case and was arrested on the Napa warrant and booked into the Sacramento County jail.

Wednesday morning, Napa police served the search warrant on the house in Sacramento with the help of the Sacramento Police Department.

"Officers had to force their way into the house and four adults were detained after at least one fled and another discarded pills in an upstairs toilet," Piersig said. "Once everyone was detained, several hundred suspected oxycodone pills, along with other prescription pills were located throughout the house."

According to police, most of the prescription pills were bundled in sandwich baggies and appeared packaged to sell. Several thousand dollars in cash was found near the pills, and there were several empty bottles of promethazine — none with prescription information attached.

Smith was picked up Wednesday from the Sacramento County jail and brought to the Napa County Department of Corrections, where he was booked related to this case.

He remained in custody Thursday with his bail set at $100,000.

Police said Smith and the men contacted at the house were associated with one of the street gangs involved in the recent mass shooting in downtown Sacramento.