Police nab man they say tried to rob a Dorchester Avenue liquor store with a shotgun, only to have clerks wrestle it away and beat him with it

Boston Police report arresting the man they say tried to rob Savin Hill Wine and Spirits on Dorchester Avenue back on May 8, but who only managed to get away with fresh bruises from where store employees beat him with his own sawed-off shotgun.

Police say officers spotted John Hughes, 56, of Dorchester, near Ashmont station around 4:30 p.m. yesterday and arrested him on a warrant charging him with attempted armed robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. During booking, police say, officers found several suboxone strips, so they added a charge of possession of Class B drugs.

Police say that in addition to leaving behind the sawed-off shotgun at the liquor store around 9:30 that night, Hughes also "left behind evidence" that led investigators to finger him and apply for an arrest warrant at Dorchester court.

Innocent, etc.