Pharmacist's Boyfriend Beats Up Alleged Pharmacy Robber

A man allegedly trying to rob a Walgreens pharmacy on Valentine’s Day was beaten unconscious by the pharmacist’s boyfriend.

David West, who happens to be a trained fighter, was visiting his pharmacist girlfriend at a Walgreens in Bradenton, Florida, on February, 14, 2016.

While West was hanging out around the pharmacy counter, alleged robber Anthony Nemeth walked over wearing a hoodie and a piece of cloth to cover his face. Nemeth hopped onto the pharmacy counter, said he had a gun, and asked for all the oxycodone in the store, WFLA.com reported.

Surveillance footage showed West casually walk over to Nemeth, grab the alleged pharmacy robber, and throw him to the ground—ripping off his sweatshirt in the process. After several blows, Nemeth fell unconscious.

“When he started reaching into his pants like he had a weapon, that’s when I did something just to protect my girlfriend,” West told WFLA.com.

While West didn’t know whether Nemeth truly had a gun at the time, he said he would rather have Nemeth use the gun on him instead of his pharmacist girlfriend. Police later determined that Nemeth had been lying about having a firearm.

“The whole time I was holding him, down it really, really hurt my heart,” West told WFLA.com, adding that he was not trying to do anything malicious and was sympathetic to Nemeth’s alleged drug addiction.

The police said they do not recommend that others in the same situation react in the same way as West. Instead, they said bystanders and pharmacists should not risk getting themselves hurt, especially if a gun is visible.

“I did what I had to do to protect the person I love,” West told WFLA.com. “I hope he [Nemeth] gets the help he needs and I hope it helps his loved ones, too.”

Nemeth was taken to a hospital and then county jail. He was charged with 1 count of armed robbery.