Armed robbers hit Sultan Pharmacy

The Sultan Police Department is looking for two robbery suspects that struck the Sultan Pharmacy and Natural Care in Sultan on Tuesday evening, stealing prescription medications that included oxycodone. The masked robbers arrived at the store at 6:56 p.m.

 “It happened literally right before they were closing the door,” said Sultan Police Chief Steve McDonald.

Pharmacy technician Curtis Hovander, who has worked at the store for almost a decade, was on duty at the time with two coworkers. He was closest to the door when the two suspects walked through. He said he was almost immediately faced with a gun.

“By that time it was already too late to try to do anything,” he said, so he put his hands up.

He said if he had to guess, the two suspects were men, but one potentially could have been a woman with a low-pitched voice. He thinks they were in their late teens or early 20s.

The suspects’ voices were muffled. They shouted at employees, and said they were looking for different prescriptions, Hovander said. They took the drugs and left. Everything happened within about a minute, he said.

Hovander said police responded quickly, but not in time to catch the suspects. He said during the situation he thought briefly if there was a chance he might die.

“It was pretty serious stuff, it was scary,” he said.

McDonald said there currently are no leads, however, the robbers and their vehicle — what appears to be an older silver Saturn Ion — were recorded by video surveillance.

One suspect wore all black clothing and black and red shoes, and the other wore a gray hoodie. They both had blue gloves on.

Anyone who believes they might have spotted the suspects is asked not to approach them, and to call 911 or the two detectives working the case, McDonald said.

To report any information, contact Detective Michael Hawthorne at 425-388-6261 or Detective Eric Fagan 425-388-3592.