Hypodermic needle used in robbery

BRIDGEWATER (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Three suspects are behind bars this morning accused of using a syringe to rob a Bridgewater convenience store. But police say an alert customer helped them catch these guys before they got away.

The three armed suspects who allegedly robbed the store are behind bars thanks to a quick-thinking eyewitness who just couldn’t ignore what he saw.

This happened overnight around 12:30. A man was getting gas at the Cumberland Farms on Pleasant Street in Bridgewater. He saw two men putting masks on, allegedly getting ready to rob the store.

Police say the masked men used a hypodermic needle, which they claimed had the AIDS virus in it to threaten the clerk and get the money out of the register.

The suspects then took off on foot once they got the money and met a third suspect in the getaway car. And the whole time, the witness was following them.

When the suspects realized they were being followed, they ended up crashing into a snow bank. Police say the witness is the key to solving this case.

"Well without their help, certainly we wouldn't have caught the persons involved here," said Sgt. Larry Bresciani of the Bridegwater Police Department. "It's usually someone will make a 911 call and then we go there, and unfortunately they’ve left the area."

Police used canines to track the suspects down and arrested all three men at a nearby house.

Police are still testing the needle they found on the men to see if it actually was carrying the AIDS virus.