Photo: Irwin Foster
FRESNO — 51-year-old Irwin Foster was arrested on January 18th for robbing two pharmacies and attempting to rob a third. Foster’s robbery spree began January 15th at 7:30 AM. He was at the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy on 219 East Olive Avenue trying to make his way inside through the back entrance but could not get past the metal security door.
Foster did not want to leave without doing some kind of damage so he ripped the security camera off the side of the building, but not before leaving behind his clear image on the video footage.
The heavy-set, bald man then made his way over to the Vista Pharmacy on 4233 East Tulare Street around 11:15 AM. A pharmacy technician noticed him behind the counter. She instructed him leave the area as he wasn’t allowed to be there. Foster shoved her down. She fell and struck her head, leaving her to seek medical attention for her major injuries while he fled the store.
His third and final stop was the Medicine Shoppe on 2484 East Gettysburg a bit before 1 PM. Armed with a small pair of scissors and gloved hands, he again found himself behind the counter in search of “norco.” He made away with several of bottles of Promethazine from this pharmacy and the last.
Promethazine is an antihistamine which is sometimes used in combination with narcotic pain relievers and helps people feel sleepy or relaxed before or after surgery (webmd.com). It is illegally sold on the street under the street name “dirty sprite,” “lean,” and “purple drank.”
Once Foster was confirmed as he man wanted for the burglaries, Street Violence Bureau Tac Team picked him at his home and arrested him.
