PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Philadelphia man was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in federal prison for a gunpoint pharmacy robbery in Kensington, closing a case that also involved stolen controlled substances and a police pursuit through the city.
Michael Nixon, 31, also received five years of supervised release from U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sánchez, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf reported.
A federal jury convicted Nixon in March of Hobbs Act robbery, using and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to court filings and evidence presented at trial, Nixon forced a pharmacy employee back inside the store shortly before 6 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2021, as the employee tried to reach their car.
Prosecutors stated Nixon demanded access to the pharmacy’s controlled-substances safe, ordered the employee to place narcotics into plastic bags and repeatedly pointed a black firearm at the employee while urging them to move faster.
After taking bottles of drugs, Nixon ran from the store and entered a blue Dodge Charger, according to prosecutors.
Philadelphia Police Department Narcotics Strike Force officers observed Nixon flee the pharmacy and tried to stop the vehicle, but the Charger sped away, leading police on a high-speed pursuit through the city.
During the chase, officers saw what appeared to be medicine bottles being thrown from the vehicle, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The pursuit ended after a minor crash in the 3100 block of Janney Street, where Nixon and the driver were taken into custody.
Police later recovered multiple bottles of controlled substances along the route, including alprazolam tablets and a partially broken bottle containing methylphenidate hydrochloride tablets. Prosecutors stated the recovered drugs matched substances stolen from the pharmacy.
The Philadelphia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Stram and Justin Oshana prosecuted it.
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