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Fourth suspect arrested in Oct. 23 attempted robbery of Smithgall’s Pharmacy in Lancaster

LANCASTER — A fourth arrest has been made in the attempted robbery of a pharmacy owned by the former mayor of Lancaster in October, according to Lancaster...

LANCASTER -- A fourth arrest has been made in the attempted robbery of a pharmacy owned by the former mayor of Lancaster in October, according to Lancaster City Police.

Lamar Black, 29, of Harrisburg, was taken into custody on December 28. He is charged with robbery and criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, Lancaster police say.

Fourth suspect arrested in Oct. 23 attempted robbery of Smithgall’s Pharmacy in Lancaster

He is the fourth suspect charged in the October 23 attempted robbery of Smithgall's Pharmacy, on the 500 block of West Lemon Street.

Former Lancaster mayor Charlie Smithgall, who owns the business, was working at the store at the time. He thwarted the robbery by shooting one of the suspects, Brandon Galette.

Fourth suspect arrested in Oct. 23 attempted robbery of Smithgall’s Pharmacy in Lancaster

Galette sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the incident. Police found him lying on the southeast corner sidewalk of North Pine Street, where he was detained and provided medical treatment.

Galette was taken into custody on the day of the incident. Two other suspects, Johnny L. Straining Jr., 22, of Harrisburg, and Andrew Garrett, 24, of Steelton, were taken into custody in December.

Fourth suspect arrested in Oct. 23 attempted robbery of Smithgall’s Pharmacy in Lancaster

Straining is accused of entering the store with Galette, showing a handgun and threatening employees and a customer while demanding Oxycodone.

Garrett allegedly drove the suspects to the store and remained outside as a lookout, police say.

Black is accused of providing the handgun Galette used in the robbery attempt at was at the scene of the crime at the time, according to police.

“From the information we have, he was part of the planning of the robbery," said Lt. William Hickey with the Lancaster City Police Department.

Smithgall, 73, was not charged in the shooting.

Straining was arrested on Dec. 14. He was charged with one count of robbery and one count of criminal conspiracy to commit robbery.

Garrett was arrested on Dec. 20, court records show. He was also charged with one count of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Straining and Garrett are currently in Lancaster County Prison after failing to post bail of $1 million, court records show.

Black was remanded to Lancaster County Prison after also failing to post bail of $1 million. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 9.

Lancaster County investigators say Black was in custody in Dauphin County for an unrelated incident when they issued a warrant for his arrest.

“It wasn’t like we had to go knocking on doors or chase him down. They already knew where he was,” Lt. Hickey said.

Galette was previously charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking, aggravated assault, receiving stolen property, two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, firearms not to be carried without a license, and seven counts of simple assault.

Galette identified the other suspects during questioning by police, according to court documents.

Investigators say he identified Straining and Black through nicknames and Garrett with his first and last name.

Lancaster Police investigated social media accounts to match descriptions provided by Galette.

Lt. Hickey said they believe they have all the suspects involved in custody.

They are still looking for any additional information from witnesses of the attempted robbery.

In December, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said multiple agencies are investigating to see if the men involved in this incident are connected to other pharmacy robberies in Harrisburg and York.

As of Thursday, January 3, that remains under investigation.

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