Pizza shop workers 'recognise robber as old boss'

Workers at a US pizza shop who caught and held down an alleged armed robber were shocked to recognise him as their former boss

They were confronted by a man wielding a fake gun at the Northeast Pizza eatery in Barre, Massachusetts, last Tuesday, local television network WCVB reports.

He allegedly climbed over the shop’s counter and demanded cash from the employees, but they managed to catch and hold him until police arrived.

Only when the man’s mask was pulled off by police did the workers apparently realise the alleged offender was their former employer, 30-year-old Sean Coulson.

"I was just frozen in my tracks. I didn't have the time to think about a plan or anything like that, so I just reacted," worker Trevor Kosla told WCVB.

Mr Coulson was reportedly fired from the local eatery last year and told police the attempted robbery was meant to be a joke. He now faces charges of alleged armed robbery and assault.