A CVS store in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to close next month due to theft by a teenager.
The drugstore chain announced it will close its Columbia Heights store on February 29 after a rampage of looting by young thieves. WUSA 9 report.
Prescriptions from the closed store will be transferred to the CVS at 1755 Columbia Road, company officials said. Employees will be given similar roles at other locations.
Columbia Heights CVS hit by crime and closed in February https://t.co/GkVpE90aeG pic.twitter.com/Lp6CXFmfDu
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) January 24, 2024
A CVS employee at the closing store told the store in October 2023 that thieves will target the store on new shipping dates and steal products before they hit the shelves. The thieves stole from the store while customers were shopping and fled, leaving a mess behind. (Related: Liberal City's only famous burger joint closes due to rampant crime)
“People of all ages, young and old, please come and we'll fill up the trash bags,” one CVS employee told the publication. “They’re open to anything and everything.”
Despite the store's zero-tolerance policy against shoplifting, employees are prohibited from chasing, confronting or arresting criminals themselves, the newspaper reported. CVS employees must follow the procedure of alerting their superiors, who will decide how to fight the crime.
“More than 50 CVS locations remain in Washington, D.C., and these locations will continue to provide excellent service to the community,” CVS said in a statement. “We also offer prescription delivery services to eligible patients through CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app, providing even more convenient access to medications.”
Several restaurants and businesses have evacuated Washington, D.C., in recent months as rising crime has squeezed profits. School-age youth repeatedly empty CVS shelves for months on end as street vendors resell goods stolen from stores.
