Duo Arrested for Allegedly Robbing a String of Valley Pharmacies

North Hollywood, CA --Two men with a taste for a mind-altering antihistamine have been arrested in connection with a string of pharmacy robberies including a North Hollywood pharmacy, police said today.

The suspects, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Davis of Inglewood and 28- year-old Jose Lopez of Los Angeles, were arrested on June 8 and 16, respectively, according to the Glendale Police Department.

Police allege the two were armed with handguns about 10 a.m. on May 21 when they entered the Central Avenue Pharmacy at 119 W. California Ave. in Glendale and robbed promethazine syrup and unspecified prescription pills.

"Approximately 30 minutes later, the same two suspects robbed the Absolute Pharmacy in the city of San Fernando and stole the same type of promethazine syrup," according to a police statement.

"The Glendale Police Department coordinated with the San Fernando Police Department and assumed their robbery investigation because of the ties to Glendale."

Further investigation revealed that Davis and Lopez had also robbed a North Hollywood pharmacy on the evening of May 20, police alleged.

"The suspects again robbed the pharmacy for the same type of promethazine syrup," police said.

With the help of surveillance video, detectives identified the suspects and a search warrant was served at Lopez's home, where several firearms and promethazine syrup bottles were located and seized, police said.

"The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office has filed three counts of robbery against Davis and Lopez with a 10-year enhancement for using a firearm during the commission of a robbery," police said.

Both men were being held at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic, Davis in lieu of $500,000 bail and Lopez in lieu of $235,000, and were next due in court in Burbank on Thursday, according to sheriff's online inmate records.

Promethazine is an antihistamine that can have psychoactive effects.

City News Service