Man Arrested After Armed Robbery At Haverhill Pot Shop
HAVERHILL (CBS) – Police arrested a man who allegedly robbed a Haverhill marijuana store with a BB gun Wednesday afternoon. Police said 51-year-old Tony Hernandez took cash and cannabis from the CNA Store on River Street at about 12:30 p.m.
The business remained closed for the rest of the day as owners worked with police and supported their staff.
Investigators say the suspect had walked into the store and showed what appeared to be a handgun. An employee handed over cash and cannabis - and even shielded his coworkers from the suspect.
"He was just super calm and the whole staff was," said Scott Winters of CNA Stores. "They handled it exactly as they were trained."
The suspect took off with what was later confirmed to be a BB gun. Haverhill Police soon found and arrested him nearby.
No one inside the business was hurt. The CNA store opened in November. Winters said they do feel grateful for such a loyal customer base - but it's still discouraging to have been targeted.
"We do a lot of work in our communities," Winters said. "In Haverhill we do the Snow Angel Project here, where we dig out seniors. We've done 17,000 cases of food during the pandemic. We're a veteran owned company. It's just a little sad someone would pick any of us."
Hernandez will be arranged in Haverhill District Court on Thursday.
Winters added it's a misconception that cannabis shops do more of their business in cash. Most of their transactions are by debit card.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is aware of the incident and investigating.