Second East Harlem Pharmacy Armed Robbery Suspect Still At Large
NEW YORK (CBNewYork) -- Cops are still searching for a suspect who they said was able to escape during a wild shootout after he and another suspect tried to rob a pharmacy in East Harlem.
The dramatic standoff Thursday at the RX Center Pharmacy on First Avenue and 119th Street was all caught on video as two armed men went into the pharmacy at around 11 a.m. and demanded Oxycontin, Percocet and cash, police said.
That's when a pharmacy worker hit a silent alarm and set the scene in motion. Cops responded and found two workers and six customers being held hostage inside the pharmacy, including a woman and her baby.
As the suspects fled the store, one of them opened fire at the responding officers, police said. Cops shot back as the suspects ran.
"I saw the individual run across the street as he's shooting backwards, the cops shot him," described witness Joseph Lasalle.
Just across the street, a retired NYPD lieutenant saw the chaos unfolding. He pulled his weapon, raced down 1st Avenue after the fleeing suspect and fired his gun, police said. The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Rudolph Wyatt, was killed.
"The cops shot the individual, point-blank in the head," said Lasalle. "He dropped to the ground."
In the chaos, the second suspect managed to escape. No one inside the pharmacy was hurt.
Along with the gun, police said they found cash on the suspect.
Anyone with information on the second suspect should call police or Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
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