NORCROSS, Ga. — Surveillance video shows the frightening moments armed robbers burst into a drugstore and held a woman at gunpoint, forcing her open a safe holding prescription drugs.
Now, police are asking the public for help to catch the robbers before they strike again.
The incident happened Dec. 7 at the VN Pharmacy on Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
Video shows the men jumping the counter. As the clerk tries to escape, one of the robbers grabs her.
“After she was dragged to the back room for a few moments, they brought her to the front office area, behind the counter. The violent robbers then dragged the clerk over to a safe with a gun pointed at her head,” said Cpl. Michele Pihera, with the Gwinnett County Police Department.
The video then shows the men forcing the clerk to enter the combination and open the safe, where police say a large quantity of prescription drugs, including painkillers, were stored.
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“After they were done stealing the prescription drugs and some cash in her purse, they were seen running out of the store and getting into a new-model black Ford Taurus,” Pihera said. "We know they are armed with a handgun. It's very possible they could rob another business, be it a pharmacy or a convenience store."
The clerk isn't the only person robbed at gunpoint in the Norcross shopping center.
Hairstylist Rosa Ramirez told Channel 2's Tom Regan that a robber tried to steal from her last month, but she stood up to him.
“He took the gun and covered his face as fast as he can. I said, ‘You kidding? What are you doing?’ ‘I'm coming to steal.’ I said, ‘We don’t have any money,’” Ramirez said.
She told Regan that the man held up a customer but walked out empty-handed.
"When she come to me crying, he gave the money back to the girl," Ramirez said.
Ramirez said she was sympathetic to the drug store clerk.
“She's probably terrified, traumatized to come to work," Ramirez told Regan.
Police fear the men who held up the drugstore won't be so compassionate.
“These are three violent offenders, and it's imperative that they are identified and captured as quickly as possible," Pihera said.
Police said it's hard to identify the robbers because they were wearing masks and gloves, but they believe they are in their teens or early 20s.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Gwinnett County detectives at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
Crime Stoppers tips may be rewarded with up to $2,000 if they lead to an arrest or indictment.