GREENFIELD — Two Indianapolis men who were allegedly seeking cash and drugs from a local pharmacy were captured by police after a brief chase on the north side of the city.
The incident happened just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28, at the CVS Pharmacy, 1233 N. State St.
Arian L. Craig, 24, and Jaron K. Griffin, 20, both of Indianapolis, are being held in the county jail. Charges of robbery; theft; resisting arrest and other felony counts are pending.
Jaron K. Griffin
Arian L. Craig
Prosecutor Brent Eaton said his office has placed a 72-hour hold on the suspects as officials wait for law enforcement to finalize reports and turn over all the details about the incident.
According to a news release from the Greenfield Police Department, the two men were quickly apprehended after fleeing the scene.
Chuck McMichael, GPD deputy chief and public information officer, told the Daily Reporter someone called 911 and reported two men were in the pharmacy area stealing medication.
“They were just grabbing at medications that were ready for people to pick up,” McMichael said.
Police did not know if any customers where inside the store at the time and were awaiting video surveillance footage. McMichael said the suspects jumped behind the counter and asked to get into the safe but were not able to. McMichael said that’s when they started grabbing at prescriptions that were ready for customer pickup.
Investigators do not believe the two used a weapon or showed one, although they said a handgun was found later inside their car.
As officers began responding to the emergency call, the men left the store, McMichael said. However, officers first arriving on the scene spotted a white Chevrolet passenger car traveling at a high rate of speed heading westbound on McKenzie Road. They gave chase.
The suspects’ car crashed at the roundabout at McKenzie Road and Broadway Street, McMichael said. Both men took off on foot. The passenger, later identified as Griffin, was captured within moments. The driver, later identified as Craig, was located a short time later after officers set up a perimeter and called for assistance.
Officials used K-9 officers from the New Palestine and Fortville police departments who responded to search for Craig. A police dog eventually found him hiding in a creek just south of the intersection of Broadway and McKenzie. The suspect was bitten after refusing to follow officers’ commands, McMichael said. Craig was taken to the hospital for treatment before being sent to the county jail.
No one inside the pharmacy was injured. Several containers of medication taken during the robbery were recovered from inside the suspects’ vehicle, McMichael said.
First-responders from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the Greenfield Fire Territory also assisted in GPD’s efforts to subdue the suspects.
