DELTONA, Florida — The Volusia County Sheriff’s Department has release surveillance video of a cross-dressing thief claiming to have a bomb was thwarted early Sunday morning in an attempt to rob a Deltona drug store of its prescription pills after the pharmacist refused to comply with the suspect’s demands. The suspect fled the store empty-handed and managed to get away just prior to the arrival of responding Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies.
The robbery attempt occurred at about 5:55 a.m. Sunday morning at a CVS Pharmacy on Howland Boulevard. Witnesses said the suspect — they weren’t sure if it was a man or a woman — claimed that their children were being held hostage. The suspect also claimed to have a bomb and threatened to blow up the store if the prescription drugs weren’t handed over. The thief flashed a cardboard box from a handbag, but the pharmacist said it didn’t have any wires or electronics and just appeared to be a plain box, so he ordered the robber out of the store. The suspect fled out the front door and was last seen crossing the parking lot on foot. “Very weird” was the pharmacist’s response when asked by a Sheriff’s Office telecommunicator what the robber looked like. Deputies rushing to the crime scene arrived within three minutes and began setting up a perimeter and launching a search with the assistance of a Sheriff’s Office helicopter and K-9 unit. The suspect wasn’t located.
Witnesses reported that the suspect appeared to be a cross-dressing man, but also said the robber had feminine-looking features. The suspect appeared to be Hispanic and approximately 30-years-old and 5’9” tall, with a thin build and wearing glasses and black lipstick. The clothing description included blue jeans, a green, long sleeve shirt and a green, shoulder-length wig.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida, toll-free, at (888) 277-TIPS. Resident can also text a tip by texting “TIP231 plus the message” to CRIMES.
Tipsters who provide information to Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous and can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.