A 34-year-old Austin woman was arrested and later released after allegedly attempting to steal two 1 mL syringes full of Lidocaine from Austin Medical Center.

Conswello Bryant was in an exam room at AMC as a patient Tuesday afternoon when a staff person saw her leaving the room with the syringes in her pocket, Police Chief Brian Krueger said.

Bryant told police she has chronic pain and nobody will help her, so she took the syringes — not knowing what was in them — hoping the medication would ease her pain.

Lidocaine is used as a dental anesthetic or as a local anesthetic for minor surgeries.

Krueger said she was arrested, given a citation for theft and released.