Ipswich man charged again with hypodermic needle armed robbery
BOSTON, August 21, 2024 – An Ipswich man arraigned last week for threatening to stick a CVS worker with a hypodermic needle during a shoplifting incident was arraigned today for doing the same thing at a Star Market the day before, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
GRIFFIN SULLIVAN, 25, was charged in Boston Municipal Court Central Division today with armed robbery. Boston Municipal Court Central Division Judge Paul Treseler ordered Sullivan held on $500 bail and also ordered him to stay away from the incident location.
Sullivan will return to court September 19 for a pre-trial hearing.
On Saturday, July 27, at about 10:18 am, Boston police responded to a call for a larceny in progress at Star Market on 53 Huntington Ave. An employee told officers that a man stole various meat products before fleeing the store. When the employee approached, the man pulled out a hypodermic needle and threatened to stab him. Store managers told officers that this was the second time the man had threatened employees with a needle while stealing meat products.
Utilizing witness descriptions and surveillance video, detectives identified the man as Sullivan, and determined he was the same person arrested for committing a similar offense at the CVS on Cambridge Street in Boston the next day.
Sullivan was charged with the Star Market offense today while appearing for a scheduled pre-trial hearing connected to his CVS arraignment last week.
Sullivan’s 32-page criminal record stems back to 2013 and includes offenses like false reporting, assault, assault and battery, leaving the scene of property damage, leaving the scene of an injured person, larceny and receiving stolen property.
Hayden’s office has held several meetings with regional retailer groups and small business owners to discuss safety concerns and to help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies. The meetings have come amid increasing national and local frustrations around retail crime, along with concerns over the closure of several pharmacies serving minority communities in Boston.
“We share with retailers and consumers throughout the city the same desire for safe shopping spaces and safe workspaces. Retail-based theft, particularly by repeat offenders, poses an intolerable threat to those goals,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications