Two suspects arrested and charged with looting pharmacy in West Philadelphia last month
District Attorney's Office charges two suspects accused of carjacking & theft of narcotics
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office Gun Violence Task Force announced on Thursday that two suspects were arrested and charged for their roles in a carjacking and burglary of a West Philadelphia pharmacy during last month's widespread civil unrest.
PHILADELPHIA - Two suspects have been arrested and charged for their roles in a looting incident at a pharmacy in West Philadelphia following last month’s widespread civil unrest.
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office Gun Violence Task Force announced on Thursday that they have placed two men in custody for their roles in a carjacking and burglary of Olive Tree Pharmacy.
Samir Brown, 21, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault, conspiracy, burglary, receiving stolen property and additional related charges, officials say.
Authorities also arrested and charged Nassir Boyd, 22, with burglary, criminal trespass, conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and additional related charges.
On September 24, 2023, three days before chaos ensued in the city after a Philadelphia judge dismissed Officer Mark Dial's homicide case, officials say Brown and three other suspects carjacked two people at gunpoint in their rented Dodge Durango. Once the victims were on the ground, police say one of the suspects repeatedly kicked them in the ribs.
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On September 27, during the civil unrest, the DA's office say Brown and the other suspects drove the stolen Dodge Durango to the Olive Tree Pharmacy located on the 200 block of South 60th Street in West Philadelphia. They say Brown then directed others to watch for police while he and another individual used a crowbar to enter the pharmacy. Police say Boyd was also present at the scene and knocked out surveillance cameras before the group stole thousands of oxycodone and percocet pills. The group then fled the scene.
About two weeks later, Brown was arrested by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General's Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control after he was observed selling narcotics as part of a law enforcement investigation. After authorities searched his residence and vehicle, they discovered crack cocaine, oxycodone and other opiates, a sizable quantity of marijuana and packaging material, a prohibited firearm, and related parts.
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Police have linked Brown and Boyd to a known violent street group operating in the 18th Police District south of Market Street. Both Brown and Boyd were on probation for previous firearm-related convictions at the time of their arrests. Due to the danger these two defendants pose to the community, the DAO requested and received over $1 million in bail.
"I'm grateful to the excellent investigative work conducted by agents with the Pa. Office of the Attorney General and the Philadelphia Police Department," said Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Palmer, Assistant Supervisor of the DAO's Gun Violence Task Force. "These arrests should send a signal to those opportunistic few who chose to damage their communities and who pose a threat to public safety: We know who you are and you will be held accountable for your actions."