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Armed Robbery Attempt at Carmel
Man wielding sawed-off shotgun tries to rip-off drugs, is subdued by pharmacist; gun discharges, no one hit
Putnam County Sheriff Donald B, Smith reports that a man armed with a sawed-off shotgun walked into a pharmacy in Carmel this afternoon and attempted to rob the store of narcotics. A pharmacist subdued the robber after a violent struggle.
The incident unfolded at about 12;35pm today at the Rite Aid Pharmacy located in the ShopRite Plaza on Route 52 in Carmel. The suspect, identified as Mr. David M. Both, aged 49, of 819 Farmer's Mills Road in Kent, allegedly walked up to the pharmacy counter, displayed a loaded sawed-off shotgun and demanded narcotics from the pharmacy staff. The suspect then walked around behind the counter as a pharmacist, Mr. Mark Gallagher, complied with the suspect's demands by placing drugs into a bag.
When the suspect pointed his shotgun toward two female employees, Mr. Gallagher - who later told investigators that he feared the suspect was going to shoot the women- grabbed the weapon. After a struggle, the pharmacist was able to wrest control of the shotgun from the robber and fought him off.
Someone in the store called 911 and patrols from the Sheriffs Office, Carmel and Kent Police Departments and the State Police rushed to the store. The first arriving officers - Deputy Sheriffs Daniel Hunsberger, Thomas Lewis, and Matthew Monroe and Carmel Police Officer Michael Bodo- entered the store, where they took Mr. Both into custody.
As a deputy was unloading the suspect's shotgun, it accidentally discharged and fired a slug into the rear wall of the store. No one was injured by the shot. Investigators believe that the shotgun, which was visibly damaged in the altercation, may have gone off because of its damaged condition.
Mr, Gallagher was not injured in the altercation. Another store employee, a 64-year-old woman, later experienced chest pains while being interviewed at the Sheriff's Office headquarters. The Carmel Volunteer Ambulance Corps took her to Putnam Hospital Center for evaluation.
At the time of this News Release, Mr. Both was awaiting arraignment on a charge of attempted robbery in the first degree. That charge is a class C felony, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and by a fine of up to $5,000.
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