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Man brandishes gun inside BPL branch, police say

Print | Comments () Posted by David Jrolf November 4, 2010 07:57 PM

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By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

A man showed a gun inside the Boston Public Library's main branch in Copley Square Wednesday afternoon in an apparent attempt to rob the cafe, police said.

According to the Boston police report, officers responded to 700 Boylston St. at about 3:20 p.m. and spoke to a clerk at the cafe, who was "shaking and crying."

The clerk told officers that two suspects entered the cafe through separate doorways, and one of them went over to the self-serve coffee machine and began pouring himself a beverage. The second suspect approached the counter and told the clerk that the food smelled good and asked where it was, according to the report.

The clerk told the suspect that the food was cooked downstairs, police said, at which time the suspect tried to walk around the counter. The clerk blocked the entrance to the work area and saw the suspect holding a gun at that point, according to the report.

The armed suspect looked over to his accomplice and they both exited without saying anything, police said. After viewing security footage at the library, police stopped one possible suspect and brought him back to the library, but the victim did not recognize him. Officers continued to search the area but could not find the suspects.

The suspects were described as two males, with one wearing a winter jacket, black shirt, and a backpack, and the other wearing a white T-shirt, according to police.