An 18-year-old Colorado Springs man has been arrested in connection with two Walgreens pharmacy robberies in that city in the past two weeks.
The man, identified as Andrew Viar, is suspected in the robbery of the Walgreens at 4713 Flintridge Drive on Aug. 29 and the Walgreens at 2785 Dublin Drive on Sept. 2.
In both cases, the armed gunman asked for specific drugs. No one was injured in the heists.
Investigators arrested Viar on Sept. 3 at Doherty High School, where he was attending night classes.
After obtaining a search warrant for Viar’s home, detectives recovered items — including a firearm — that linked him to both Walgreens robberies, said Lt. David Whitlock of the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Whitlock said that Viar is not suspected in another Colorado Springs Walgreens robbery and is not linked to robberies of Walgreens stores in Littleton, Parker, Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch.
A man matching the description of the suspect in the Denver-area robberies is believed to have robbed the Walgreens at 2921 N. Nevada Ave. in Colorado Springs on Sept. 1, said Whitlock.
Narcotics were taken in that incident but were different from the narcotics taken in the two robberies Viar is suspected of pulling.
No charges have been filed in the Nevada Avenue incident. The name of that suspect — and his mug shot — have not been released as investigators from several jurisdictions continue an ongoing investigation. The suspect in the Denver-area Walgreens holdups and the Nevada Avenue-Colorado Springs robbery was arrested early Sunday in Highlands Ranch.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
