Saugus police seek robbery suspects

SAUGUS – Police continue to search for two suspects who separately attempted to rob area stores on Sunday, one armed with a large knife, the other with an alleged HIV-filled syringe.According to Assistant Police Chief Leonard Campanello, the first robbery happened around 1 a.m. at CVS, located at 1075 Broadway.A suspect, described as a white male in his early 20s, between 5-feet-11-inches and 6-feet tall, with a skinny build, wearing a black jacket, jeans, white sneakers with black laces, black knit hat with a brim and a white scarf over his face, walked into the store carrying a 12- to 16-inch knife.Campanello said the suspect walked to the counter, pointed the knife at an employee and demanded money. When the employee said he couldn’t open the cash register, the suspect allegedly threatened another employee with the knife and told him to open the register instead.”The first employee called the police as the suspect ordered him to hang up the phone,” he said. “When he didn’t hang up, the suspect left the store.”Surveillance video of the incident is currently being viewed by police and the suspect’s description has been posted to the Mass. Most Wanted website at www.massmostwanted.orgThe second robbery happened at Dunkin Donuts at 533 Broadway, around 6:30 p.m. Campanello said a white female, 5-feet, 3-inches tall with an athletic build in her 20s, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and jeans, burst into the store with a syringe in her hand.The suspect then instructed the employee to open the register and give her the money or she would stab the person with a needle that allegedly contained HIV.”She also said hurry up, put the money in the bag and give me a donut,” Campanello said.After grabbing the bag full of cash, the suspect ran out of the store. Then, a few minutes later, a woman matching the same description went into another Dunkin Donuts at 508 Lincoln Ave., with a syringe demanding money from the cash register.”She yelled at the employee as he reached for the phone and then she ran out,” he said. “If these robberies are related, we think there may have been a delay in the reporting call from the first robbery (at Dunkin Donuts).”Anyone with information about either case is asked to call the police at 781-941-1100.