BURBANK : Off-Duty Officer Assists in Arrest

A 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbing a Burbank pharmacy after he tried to find help in fleeing the crime scene and accidentally knocked on the door of an off-duty police officer, authorities said Tuesday.

“The guy knocks on the door and asks him [the officer] to call a cab. [The officer] recognized the guy and instead of calling a cab, he called police,” said Burbank Police Sgt. Leonard Doran.

Randy Marion Cox, who police believe is a transient, had just been released from state prison after serving time for another robbery when he was arrested again on Monday.

Cox was reportedly wearing a surgical mask over his face when he walked into a pharmacy inside the Burbank Medical Plaza at 2701 W. Alameda Ave., and ordered a pharmacist to lie on the floor.

He then allegedly grabbed $200 worth of painkillers and fled on foot for about a mile.

Police Officer Kelly Carsten was listening to his police scanner at home and had heard a description of Cox when the robbery suspect knocked on his door, Doran said.

Cox told the officer that he had just been seen by a doctor and needed to call a cab, Doran added.

When police arrived, Cox was walking away from Carsten’s home, apparently tired of waiting for the cab. He was taken to the Men’s Central Jail for medical treatment.