Police Concerned Pharmacy Robbery Suspect Could Become Violent
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - The search is on for a man police say is robbing pharmacies across the Denver metro area.
Police have named their suspect -- Nicholas Cattaneo, 35 -- and now they say they need to find him.
"We really want to get this guy off the streets right away because he is escalating. He's committing more and more robberies in a shorter time frame," Arapahoe County Sheriff's spokeswoman Julie Brooks said.
Cattaneo is believed to be the suspect in a dozen similar robberies and robbery attempts in the last three months. The pharmacies that have been targeted have been located in nearly every community in the metro area. On Saturday night he is believed to have targeted a pharmacy inside an Albertsons in Denver.
On March 5 the suspect police say was Cattaneo was dressed in black clothing and allegedly told a pharmacist at Safeway on 20153 East Smoky Hill Road that he was carrying a bomb. He threatened to set if off if he wasn't given a handful of medications.
Hours before, the robber tried the same stunt at the Rite Aid near the intersection of University Boulevard and Arapahoe Road.
In both cases he said he was looking for prescription drugs such as oxycodone and Xanax.
"We're confident this is the same guy that's committing robberies across the metro area," Brooks said. "We know other jurisdictions are looking."
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is hoping someone may recognize Cattaneo from the pictures they have released. They are urging anyone who sees him to call police immediately.
"We do think he's possibly armed. At least, he's threatening that he's armed," Brooks said.
Cattaneo was described as being white, 5-foot-11 and weighing about 200 pounds. He has green eyes and brown hair.
Additional Resources:
The following information about this case was released by the Arapahoe County Sheriff:
If you have seen Cattaneo or know where he can be found, contact Crime Stoppers or the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711. He is believed to be armed and dangerous. Do not approach or try to detain him.
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