WASHINGTON — MPD says 28-year-old Emmanuel Hart robbed two CVS stores on P Street Northwest 20 times between late June and late July. Stealing nearly $8,000 worth of merchandise.
One shopper told WUSA9 she witnessed a robbery at the corner of 17th and P streets Northwest.
“I was in here, I was waiting to get checked out and saw a man in the aisle with toilet paper, paper towels, tissues. All that kind of stuff," she said. "He wiped out the section with a big black garbage bag and just walked out.”
Court documents show Hart stuffed the stolen merchandise inside a bag or box during every robbery.
Investigators allege, on three different days, Hart hit the same store multiple times.
“And then the gentleman who was checking me out said this is the second or third time he’s been in today, because the whole aisle was gone," said the shopper. "An older gentleman came in after and goes, ‘you have no toilet paper’ and he goes, ‘no, we have nothing’.”
This year, WUSA9 reported on several CVS locations closing throughout the District, including one in Columbia Heights which was ransacked in late 2023.
Frequent shoppers at the P Street Northwest location would hate to see their local store shut its doors because of crime.
“There’s so much that’s under lock and key that it kind of keeps you from actually going in and buying more stuff.," said a different shopper outside the CVS near the corner of 14th and P streets Northwest. "We get all of our prescriptions and our daily items there. We’ve been here 16 years and have been there many, many times and we’d hate to see it go. We really need it in our neighborhood.”
Hart is being held in custody without bond. He’s due back in court Sept. 16.