Pharmacist thrown to the ground, assaulted during robbery

Fora Rahmati is stepping up her pharmacy's security system following a terrifying robbery last week.

The Newmarket pharmacist says she was closing for the night when she was assaulted and thrown to the ground by two men who demanded drugs and cash.

"He was bent on me, yelling, "Where is your safe? Where is your narcotics?" she recalled. "They walked me toward the till. I opened the till, they took the money, and they fled."

The suspects, dressed in black, were in and out within minutes.

Jen Belcher with the Ontario Pharmacists Association says there are reports of these violent, brazen pharmacy robberies happening across the province.

"We've seen four times previous levels as per 2021 - that would be in the Toronto area," she noted.

"Pharmacy robberies apparently in our region, York Region is up about 230 per cent compared to last year," Rahmati said.

She added the police were able to get a licence plate for the suspect vehicle but said it was likely stolen.

"This is frightening, so you always think I'm the next person that is getting that gun to her head. It could be me," she said.

Police seek witnesses who may have noticed anything unusual at the Optimum Pharmacy on Davis Drive pharmacy on Nov. 28.

"Often these are happening when businesses are open, so we do suspect there might be people in the parking lots," said York Regional Police Const. Laura Nicolle. "We're encouraging them to contact us."

The Ontario Pharmacy Association said it's working with the College of Pharmacists to deter would-be thieves, including considering making time-delayed safes mandatory.

The association says the opioid crisis has added to the rise in robberies. Pharmacists like Rahmati said they need more protection.

"I don't think I'll be ever able to work by myself at my own pharmacy because of that fear, because of that trauma," she concluded.