Man Who Threatened People With Needle In Beverly Pleads Guilty

BEVERLY, MA — A Stoneham man who threatened people with needles and tried to take their cars in the parking lot of the Cummings Center in Beverly will spend the next three to five years in prison. Matthew J. Rich, 31, of Stoneham, was sentenced after entering a guilty plea in Salem Superior Court Friday.

Beverly Police were called to Acapulco's Restaurant around 6:15 on Aug. 4 after getting reports of a man attacking people with a syringe and attempting to steal a car. When police arrived, Rich had locked himself in a car and was going through the glove compartment. Several witnesses told responding officer they had been threatened or attacked by the man in the car. No one was stabbed with the needle or otherwise injured, police said.

Witnesses told Rich, who later was found to be on methamphetamine at the time of the attacks, had jumped into a car and threatened a woman and her son with the needle. When the two escaped with the keys, he moved onto another car. When he could not get that car started, Beverly Police said, he moved onto a third car, where he held the needle to the driver's neck and threatened her. The woman broke free and called 911.

Rich allegedly tried another car but the man in that care was able to lock his doors. Rich then began running around the parking lot, trying doors in an effort to find an unlocked car. Rich refused police orders to get out of the car. An officer found the car's owner in the restaurant and returned to the parking lot with the keys. Once the car was unlocked, Rich was arrested without incident.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).