Astoria, OR – A teenage employee at the Walgreens in Troutdale found herself facing a terrifying ordeal Saturday night when a masked man armed with a gun demanded cash and cigarettes during a robbery.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. at the Walgreens located at 257th and Stark, when the suspect, described as a Hispanic man in his 30s, entered the store wearing a magenta ski mask. He pulled a firearm from a cheetah-print lunch pail and demanded money from the young employee, who was working alone at the time.
The suspect allegedly ordered the 17-year-old employee to hand over all the money in the register and instructed her not to touch her phone. In fear for her safety, the teen complied, giving the suspect approximately $150 in cash along with a few packs of cigarettes before he fled the scene.
Moments after the robbery, the teenager called 911 and then contacted her mother, Kayla Rodriguez, who rushed to the store in a panic. “Mainly, I just wanted to get to her. I just wanted to make sure she was OK and see her. I needed to see her,” Rodriguez told KOIN 6 News. “That’s all I was thinking about.”
Rodriguez arrived so quickly that she beat the police to the scene. She described the situation as every parent’s worst nightmare, adding that while she was relieved her daughter was unharmed, the emotional toll was still heavy. “This is one of the worst phone calls a parent would ever want to get. You think it won’t happen to you or your family, and then it does,” Rodriguez said.
The suspect is described as an approximately 5-foot-5 Hispanic male in his 30s, wearing a magenta ski mask and carrying a cheetah-print lunch pail. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has launched an active investigation and is asking the public for any information that could help identify and locate the suspect.
In the aftermath of the robbery, Walgreens has extended emotional support to the two teenage employees who were present during the incident. The victim’s mother expressed concern for her daughter’s emotional well-being, noting that the teen, who had taken the job to gain real-world experience ahead of her senior year of high school, is now too afraid to return to work. “She’s just scared to go back,” Rodriguez said. “She’s really shaken up.”
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information about the suspect or the robbery to come forward. Authorities have reassured the public that they are working diligently to solve the case and bring the suspect to justice.
As of now, the suspect remains at large, and the investigation continues.
