Thieves with a penchant for Crest whitening strips and power toothbrushes ripped off more than $2,000 worth of the oral hygiene products in simultaneous thefts at a pair of Riverside pharmacies.
According to police, a pair of men pulled off the thefts shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday at the CVS pharmacy in the Riverside Commons shopping center, 1239 E. Putnam Ave. and at Walgreen's Pharmacy, 1333 E. Putnam Ave. One man was able to fill two shopping handbaskets with the items at Walgreen's while a second man apparently did the same thing at CVS.
"Each had two baskets and hopped into a car and took off, mostly northbound on the (Connecticut) turnpike because we found the empty shopping baskets on the (Exit 5) entrance ramp," said Police Officer Michael Vangrowski. Vangrowski said he has identified possible suspects because "we got good video from the store."
Each suspect escaped with more than $1,000 worth of merchandise, police said. While the specific number of items taken wasn't available, Vangrowski said the power toothbrushes were worth about $150 each. Police did not release a description of the car or the suspects.
