Brookhaven police shoot man in pre-dawn Walgreens robbery, authorities say
Four Washington D.C. area locals were arrested in Brookhaven, Pa. Thursday morning after an attempted armed robbery at a Walgreens store.
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Police shot a 19-year-old in the arm at a Walgreens store in Brookhaven when he grabbed a store employee as a shield during a pre-dawn robbery, authorities said Thursday.
Derek L. Stevens of Washington is in stable condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, said Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland. He was arrested with Lorenzo Ross, 25, also of Washington; Derrick Ross of Vienna, Va.; and Jonathan E. Jones, 24, of Washington. All have been charged with robbery.
Around 4:25 a.m. Thursday, authorities said, Brookhaven police began to get a number of 911 calls about a knife-point robbery at the store on Edgmont Avenue.
“We don’t know why they targeted this Walgreens,” Copeland said, “or why they targeted this area.”
The Rosses and Jones headed directly for the pharmacy at the back of the store, where they jumped over the counter and took all the drugs from a safe they forced an employee to open, Copeland said.
At the front of the store, she said, Stevens barreled over the counter and ordered an employee to open two cash registers that he then ransacked.
While Stevens forced two customers to the back of the store and tried to take a purse, authorities said, others in the store called police.
About a minute after the calls were made, Brookhaven police were at the store, and the four men, faces completely or partially covered, ran toward the back exit.
As Jones ran, authorities said, he grabbed a store employee and turned toward an officer. The officer, fearing for the employee’s safety, shot Jones in an arm. All four men were arrested at the store.
It was unclear why the men were in Pennsylvania.