Pregnant women held hostage during pharmacy robbery

A man held two pregnant pharmacy workers at gunpoint Wednesday after demanding powerful prescription painkillers in a note.

Karmen Sefyan, owner of Arianna Medical Pharmacy in Glendale, and a co-worker were alone just after noon inside the drugstore in the 3600 block of North Verdugo Road when she said a man walked in pointing a gun at them.

Sefyan — whose pregnancy is nearly full term — and her co-worker were not harmed during the incident.

“The whole thing took a few minutes,” she said.

The man, described as wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, was holding a note demanding a prescription for the narcotic pain reliever Norco, which Sefyan, a pharmacist, said is stronger than the popular painkiller Vicodin.

She quickly read the note, grabbed a 500-count bottle of Norco from her prescription drug supply and handed it to the man, who she said appeared to be nervous. He never exchanged words with the women during the incident.

After grabbing the bottle, the man walked out of the pharmacy.

The man — described as white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 190 pounds and in his 30s — was last seen entering a dark sedan, said Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz.

Forensic investigators and detectives are investigating the robbery, he added.

“It was really surprising because we are in a really nice area,” Sefyan said. “It’s odd.”

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