The suspect was carrying a firearm in the waistband of the red gym shorts he was wearing.
WESTFIELD – State, Westfield and Southwick police spent nearly five hours Friday in search of a suspect in the armed robbery of the Rite Aid store on East Silver Street.
Westfield Police Capt. Michael A. McCabe said that a call was received from Rite Aid personnel at about 10:30 a.m. reporting the armed robbery of an undisclosed amount of controlled substances. The suspect was carrying a firearm in the waistband of the red gym shorts he was wearing.
“The perpetrator fled the scene on foot east toward East Main Street,” McCabe said. “We believe that this person is responsible for several other similar robberies involving Rite Aid stores in Hampden County and northern Connecticut.”
The suspect is described as a dark-skinned male, 5 feet, 10 inches to 6 feet tall, wearing red gym shorts, a white striped shirt and a baseball cap. He is believed to be 20 to 30 years old.
K-9 units from Westfield and Southwick were dispatched to the store to track the suspect’s scent, which lead them to the area behind the Price Rite grocery store on East Main Street. A state police helicopter was also used in the search.
“At some point, the suspect crossed over to the Main Line Drive area,” McCabe said.
The loading area behind Price Rite was cordoned off and swarmed by members of the Westfield, state and Southwick police.
The search was called off at about 3:30 p.m. when the officers’ “time and efforts didn’t appear to have any more value,” McCabe said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Westfield Police Department at (413) 562-5411 or Det. Anthony Tsatsos at (413) 572-6400.
Ashley Flowers, spokesperson from Rite Aid’s corporate offices in Pennsylvania, said the company is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading the arrest and conviction of the robber or robbers.