BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Two Baltimore County men were arrested Sunday night after breaking into a pharmacy to steal thousands of pain pills, getting into a scuffle with police and trying to take a trooper’s handgun, police said.

Troopers found about 17,000 pills of the pain reliever oxycodone on the suspects after catching up to them in a short chase on foot, said Tfc. Edward Winkler of the Westminster barracks.

He said the pain reliever is becoming increasingly popular on Carroll’s streets.

“That seems like that’s the norm,” Winkler said. “Based on my experience most recently, that’s the drug of choice.”

Winkler was one of three state troopers to respond to a burglar alarm at McDougall’s pharmacy in Eldersburg at about 10 p.m. Sunday. When they arrived, the two suspects were still inside, police said.

Troopers surrounded the store in the 1600 block of Liberty Road and began slowly closing in on the men until the suspects ran out of the store, sending the

troopers chasing after them, police said.

The burglary escalated into an assault when one of the suspects fought police and tried to grab Trooper Sidney Bittinger’s gun, police said.

“It was an attempt to try to disarm him, and it wasn’t successful, and he was placed under arrest,” Winkler said.

The suspect sustained minor abrasions, but the trooper was not harmed, Winkler said.

Sean Michael Kusterer, 22, of the unit block of Eastman Road in Randallstown, was charged with first-degree assault; second-degree assault; resisting arrest; two counts of burglary; possession of prescription medication with intent to distribute; and malicious destruction of property.

Francis Joseph Buppert Jr., 22, of the unit block of Brangles Road in Marriottsville, was charged with two counts of burglary; theft; possession of prescription medication with intent to distribute; and malicious destruction of property.

msilvestri@baltimoreexaminer.com