Axe-Wielding Thief Swallows Stolen Pills Inside Pharmacy

A man broke into a Walgreens pharmacy using an axe, swallowed stolen prescription drugs, and attempted to fight police when they cornered him in the bathroom.

A witness saw a man with an axe trying to enter the California pharmacy in the early morning of November 2, 2015, Patch reported.

While 5 police officers and a police dog responded to the scene, the man, who was later identified as Edward Barron, allegedly threatened employees with the axe and demanded that they not call the police.

The pharmacy office was not open at the time, so Barron used his axe to get into it, shattering glass in the process. Once inside, he placed a computer server tower by the entrance to block it, Patch reported.

Police told Barron to surrender, but he ignored their demands.

They also observed him swallowing a “sizeable” amount of drugs in the office. Police do not yet know what he consumed, according to Patch.

When officers were able to move the computer server tower and enter the office, Barron moved to the bathroom inside the office and locked himself in.

The police were able to enter the bathroom and tried to arrest him, but he kicked and used his fists against one of the officers and the police dog, Patch reported.

Barron was taken to the hospital for the cuts he sustained from shattering the glass door of the pharmacy office, plus to seek help for the ingestion of pills and his injuries from fighting one of the officers. He was also bitten by the police dog.

Barron faces charges of robbery, burglary, battery for alleged attacks on the police officer and dog, resisting arrest, and being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to Patch.