A CVS store in Washington, D.C., will close after a group of sticky-fingered teens routinely ransacked the store, leaving shelves exposed.
A pharmacy storefront in Washington, D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood will close on February 29, according to FOX affiliate WTTG-TV.
The closure comes months after a video was released showing empty shelves lined up after teenagers shoplifted from a CVS store in October 2023 and ransacked the store.
Theft became so prevalent at CVS stores that customers began shopping for essential items elsewhere.
“To be honest, I don't want to shop there. I just go there and get my prescriptions, and when I need something else, I go elsewhere because I can't get anything else.” said CVS customer Ilana Miller to WTTG-TV.
Staff there say more than 45 children regularly enter the store before school, after school and late at night to steal chips and drinks.
CVS employees claim that the teenage thieves know when new products arrive and when is the best time to target the store.
Fox 5 reported that “street vendors are said to be paying people to go inside and steal items so they can resell them.” Police reported seeing street vendors selling products that once filled the empty shelves of pharmacies.
They noticed people selling toothbrushes, men's and women's body wash, car air fresheners, and laundry and cleaning supplies along the street just down the road from CVS.
Year-to-date, the number of reported robberies has increased by 68% between 2023 and 2022.
According to Metropolitan Police Department data, only 1,395 property crimes have occurred so far in 2024, compared to 1,615 in 2023.
According to the report, 3,470 robberies occurred in 2023.
CVS Pharmacy's headquarters and the Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to FOX News Digital's requests for comment.
