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Armed robbery of Northborough sex shop leads to manhunt, arrest
Ross Bourgeois, 34, of Worcester, faces a slew of charges, including armed robbery, assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
A Worcester man used a fake gun to hold up a Northborough sex shop then fled into the woods late Thursday, sparking a late-night manhunt that ended in his arrest, according to Northborough police.
The incident began around 10:30 p.m., when employees at the Amazing Intimate Essentials & Smoke Shop on Belmont Street confronted the man, later identified as Ross Bourgeois, 34, of Worcester, over suspected shoplifting, according to officials.
Police said the suspect allegedly brandished a fake firearm and a knife and then took off running with a few undisclosed items.
Northborough police said in a press release that an officer spotted a man matching the suspect’s description walking along Lawrence Street. The officer commanded the man to stop, but he fled into the nearby woods, prompting a four-hour manhunt.
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State police and officers from Westborough and Shrewsbury assisted in the investigation and established a perimeter in the Route 9 and Lawrence Street area.
Police searched for the suspect using drone units from the Northborough and Westborough police departments and the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, and found him hiding in a wooded area near Wal-Mart on Otis Street.
Officers at the search perimeter tried to negotiate a surrender, but Bourgeois refused to comply, according to officials.
The State Police Special Tactical Operations Team (STOP) responded to the scene to help with negotiations, and Bourgeois eventually surrendered without further incident around 3 a.m.
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Bourgeois allegedly possessed a replica firearm and a double-edged knife when taken into custody, according to police. The Northborough Fire Department transported him to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
He was arraigned Friday morning and faces charges of armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon, breach of the peace, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
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