Boy, 17, arrested in Rite Aid robbery

BANGOR – Aided by a witness using a cell phone, police on Monday chased down and arrested a teenager suspected of robbing a drugstore minutes earlier.

Police said a 17-year-old boy wearing a blue camouflage hat, jeans and a black and gray jacket walked into the Rite Aid Pharmacy at Third and Union streets.

He demanded cash from the female clerk behind the counter, said Detective Sgt. Paul Kenison of the Bangor Police Department. Nobody was hurt in the robbery, which occurred about 4 p.m.

“He had his finger under his coat, implying he had a weapon,” Kenison said.

After the clerk asked her manager what to do, “he was given an undisclosed amount of money,” Kenison said of the suspect.

Rite Aid employees and customers watched him walk out of the store toward Third Street.

A Bangor woman, 26, who asked not to be identified, was about to walk into the store to buy some Mountain Dew and candy for a family gathering when the robbery occurred.

“I was going in and a guy was coming out and said, ‘Don’t go in there. It’s being robbed,'” she said while standing in the parking lot minutes after the suspect was taken into custody. “I was on the phone and he said to call 911.”

The suspect “came out of the building and I chased him down the street [in a car]” while talking to authorities on the cell phone, she said. “The cops’ cars came from three different directions.”

Another man was walking his dog on Third Street when he heard screeching tires and yelling, which made him turn around. He said he saw police officers tackle the suspect and place him in handcuffs.

“He was a rough-, tough-looking guy,” said the man, who did not want to be identified.

Police did not release the suspect’s name Monday evening because he is a juvenile. The suspect was searched, but Kenison was unable to say Monday evening if a weapon was discovered.

Kenison said the teen would be charged with Class B robbery, which carries a prison term of up to 10 years for adults.

He was scheduled to be taken to Mountain View Youth Development Center in Charleston pending a court hearing, Kenison said.

Rite Aid employees did exactly what they were trained to do, said Ashley Flower, spokeswoman for the company, based in Camp Hill, Pa.

“We are cooperating with local authorities and we are thankful no one was injured,” she said.