Quick-Thinking Victim Leads Police to Ferndale Pharmacy Robbery in Progress

Thanks to the quick thinking of one of the victims in the robbery of on Monday night, Ferndale Police were able to act fast and get to the scene while the crime was still in progress.

"One of the victims had the foresight to dial 911 and leave an open line before she was grabbed by the criminals," Ferndale Police Lt. Detective William Wilson said. "Police were able to listen to the crime unfold over the telephone. Officers responded and were outside of the building when the culprits attempted to escape."

Two armed men entered Ferndale Pharmacy, 825 W. Nine Mile Rd., about 7:15 p.m. and robbed several people in the store, Wilson said. The victims were tormented at gunpoint, tied up and pistol-whipped, he said. "One shot was fired and a victim received minor injury from the ricocheted bullet fragments," Wilson said.
 
The third suspect, a getaway driver, fled the scene before the gunmen left Ferndale Pharmacy, witnesses said.

The getaway driver left in a Honda Odyssey minivan, Wilson said. "(The vehicle) was pursued at high speeds into Detroit. He crashed near Livernois and Stoepel and fled on foot," Wilson said. "Officers caught him in the yard of a house in the area."

The two gunmen were also apprehended, Wilson said. "One of the robbers was caught near the store, the other fled into backyards and was tracked down and arrested by officers."

One of the three suspects is on parole and carries a prior conviction of second-degree murder, Wilson said. 

Several at what they saw unfolding.

Kim Kolaz was just leaving her home on Beaufield, the street immediately west of Ferndale Pharmacy, when she said she saw two  officers slowly get out of a police car and pull out what looked like assault rifles. She quickly went back inside her house where she and her husband watched the events from their window.

Ferndale r exit the back door of the store after the suspects had left the scene.

Ferndale police were assisted by the Oak Park Public Safety Department and the police departments of Oak Park, Royal Oak and Detroit. The suspects are in custody at the Ferndale Police department. Details on the suspects have yet to be made available.
 
Wilson said the case is still under investigation and will be presented to the prosecutor's office Wednesday.

Read neighbors accounts of the Ferndale Pharmacy incident as it unfolded .