Brazen Smash-And-Grab Burglars Plague San Fernando Valley Pharmacies

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two San Fernando Valley area pharmacies were burglarized in the Tujunga area in the early morning hours Monday.

For one of the businesses, it wasn't the first time.

Vardui Sarafyan, owner of Miracle Pharmacy in the 7400 block of Foothill Boulevard, told KTLA his business has been targeted before. Thieves hit the store at 3:10 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

"They were kicking the door and broke the door," Sarafyan told KTLA. "They always look for what I call `street drugs' and (today) they took Xanax from us."

According to police, the suspects were men driving a black Dodge Durango SUV that had been carjacked.

The robbers are believed to be the same smash-and-grab crew responsible for a slew of pharmacy robberies terrorizing the San Fernando Valley, NBC Los Angeles reported. According to NBC, there have been at least 13 break-ins so far in October in the San Fernando Valley.

The brazen crew breaks through security gates and smash threw glass doors to get at the drugs and cash, according to the LAPD.

A second pharmacy in the 6000 block of Foothill Boulevard was burglarized moments later at around 3:20 a.m., according to the LAPD.

It was unclear if the crimes were related.

Anyone with information on the crimes was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.