An attempted armed robbery at Dexter’s Barbershop on Dixwell Avenue was prevented Monday night when neighboring shop owners arrived on the scene with firearms of their own. According to a statement released by New Haven city officials, the barbershop’s owner was accosted by two armed masked men as he was closing around 11 p.m. Seeing the situation, two neighboring proprietors came armed to his aid and confronted the robbers. Both sides exchanged gunfire, which caused the suspects to flee quickly. One suspect climbed into the barbershop owner’s car and attempted to flee in it, but immediately crashed into a telephone poll. He exited that vehicle and climbed into another driving south. The other suspect fled on foot. A short time later, the New Haven Police Department’s Gun Unit approached a suspicious vehicle at 573 Dixwell Ave. The car attempted to flee, but the police caught the vehicle and apprehended its three occupants. One had an unlicensed pistol in his possession. According to the statement, police are now investigating whether the arrested men are connected to the earlier robbery.