Wilmington residents woke up to this announcement on social media on Tuesday morning:
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Less than four hours later, the suspect was in custody:
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TEWKSBURY, MA — On March 15, 2016, the Tewksbury Police Department arrested Nicholas Rocco, 29, of 21 Valley Rd, Tewksbury for armed robbery while masked and assault by means of a hypodermic needle. In addition, Rocco had a warrant for knowingly being present where heroin is kept.
At 6:37am, the Tewksbury Police responded to the Tedechsi Food Shops for a report that the store clerk was robbed with a hypodermic needle. The suspect fled on foot towards Salem and South Streets with an undisclosed amount of money.
The suspect entered the store and told the clerk that he was going to “poke” him with the needle and that he would “catch aids” if he didn’t comply with giving him money from the register.
Detectives focused on Rocco as a person of interest as he matched the description given by the victim. Detectives and Officers were able to track Rocco down in the wooded area across from Walgreens at approximately 10:08am. Once placed into custody on the warrant, it was confirmed that Rocco was in fact the person who robbed the store.
Rocco is due to be arraigned at Lowell District Court on March 15, 2016.
(NOTE: The above press release and mug shot are from the Tewksbury Police Department.)
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