Oakland man arrested hours after Danville pharmacy is robbed at gunpoint

DANVILLE – A 33-year-old Oakland man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly robbing a pharmacy at gunpoint earlier that day.

At 8:08 am Tuesday, police were dispatched to a robbery at the CVS Pharmacy on San Ramon Valley Boulevard. Arriving officers discovered the suspect, wearing a surgical mask, approached the pharmacist with a note demanding pharmaceuticals. The suspect also displayed a black semi-automatic pistol, according to Danville Police Chief Allan Shields.

After receiving the meds, the suspect fled in a gray Toyota Prius, according to a witness.

Officers used the Town of Danville’s Automatic License Plate Reader camera system to locate an image of the suspect vehicle and its license plate. Later that evening, 33-year-old Jonathan Szkotak was arrested at his Oakland home. He was booked into the county jail for robbery and has since been released on $100,000 bond, Shields said.

“We’re extremely pleased with this result and the great cooperation we receive from our residents,” Shields stated. “Between the witness description and our own camera system, we were able to track this suspect down quickly and safely.”

 Shields says Szkotak is also being investigated in connection with a similar robbery that occurred in 2017 in Danville.