A North Andover man is facing federal prison time after allegedly holding up a local CVS pharmacy at gunpoint and turning his weapon on a police officer who tackled him in the middle of the street.
Gareth Francis, 45, was charged in federal court in Boston in connection with the May 2026 armed robbery of a CVS Pharmacy in Danvers, Massachusetts. He faces one count of robbery interfering with interstate commerce, known as Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Francis is currently held in pretrial custody on separate state charges in Salem District Court and will debut in federal court at a later date.
The incident unfolded just before 8:00 PM on May 11, 2026. According to charging documents, Francis walked into the Danvers store wearing a ski mask, carrying a black plastic bag and a firearm. He headed straight for the locked door of the pharmacy section, pointed his gun at a pharmacy technician standing by the register, and climbed over the counter.
Once inside the pharmacy area, Francis confronted another pharmacist at the back counter. Prosecutors allege he pointed his gun at her and said, “open the [narcotics] safe now or I’ll shoot you.”
For the next few minutes, employees filled his bag with boxes and bottles of prescription drugs. Prosecutors allege Francis demanded the safe be opened a second time, warning the pharmacist she had “30 seconds” or he was “gonna shoot [her].” The standoff ended abruptly when a cellphone alarm went off, prompting Francis to tell the pharmacist she was “lucky” before he fled out the back door.
A responding officer spotted Francis running from the rear exit. Despite commands to stop, Francis kept running, leading the officer on a foot chase. The officer caught up to him in the middle of the street and tackled him to the ground.
A physical struggle ensued on the pavement. While on the ground, the officer noticed Francis holding a silver handgun and allegedly attempting to raise it toward him. The officer managed to disarm Francis and hold him down until backup arrived. Police recovered a loaded 9mm pistol, extra ammunition magazines, and the bag of stolen drugs at the scene.
Court records show Francis has prior federal convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for providing false information during a gun purchase.
If convicted, Francis faces up to 20 years in prison for the Hobbs Act robbery charge and up to 15 years for the firearm possession charge. Both counts also carry up to three years of supervised release and fines up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The federal charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. The Danvers Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office provided assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Potapchuk of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
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