PORT ANGELES — A man brandishing what appeared to be a pipe bomb robbed the Rite Aid in Port Angeles Plaza of medication on Tuesday.
After grabbing the drugs he ran out of the back door — an emergency exit — of the Rite Aid, 110 Plaza, and into an alley at about 2:30 p.m.
“He was last seen going eastbound in the alley,” Port Angeles Sgt. Steve Coyle said.
None of the Rite Aid employees were injured, Port Angeles Cpl. Bruce Knight said.
The man appeared to be in his early 20s, blond hair, with a “scraggly” beard, thin build and wearing very baggy, washed-out jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt with black trim, Knight said.
“Right now, we only have a very basic description,” Coyle said.
Neither Coyle nor Knight knew how much medication, or which specific drugs, the man took.
The other Port Angeles Rite Aid store, at 621 S. Lincoln St., was broken into over the weekend, but Knight said there is no evidence that the two are connected.
“In that case, it was a break-in situation, and we caught the guy,” Knight said.
Last seen on foot
On Tuesday, the Sequim Police Officer Mike Hill and his K-9 partner, Chase, as well as the Lower Elwha Klallam Police, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department assisted the Port Angeles Police Department.
Hill and Chase, along with several Port Angeles officers, combed the area around the Rite Aid, including the Peninsula Golf Club course behind the building.
“The last he was seen, he was on foot,” Knight said.
“But we don’t know if he was picked up by someone else close to the scene.
“And the dog is only good for so far, and once someone gets into a car, it is really hard to track them.”
“As soon as he ran out of the store he was not seen again,” Knight said.
Anyone with more information is asked to phone police at 360-452-4545.
Arraignment today
An arraignment in Clallam County Superior Curt is set for today for Michael McDougall, no age or hometown available, who police said was found in a ventilation shaft in the Lincoln Street Rite Aid after breaking into the store over the weekend.
McDougall had his first appearance in court on Monday.
“He really didn’t get anything in the Rite Aid, because we caught him,” said Knight, who had no more information on the break-in.
McDougall was released from the Clallam County jail on Tuesday.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
