Crime & Safety

Police Probe Attempted Armed Robbery at Card Store

The crime occurred at Norman's Hallmark store at Lawrence Shopping Center Thursday evening.

Lawrence Township police are  investigating an attempted robbery with a weapon that took place at the Norman's Hallmark greeting card store at Lawrence Shopping Center about 7:40 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3.

Neither of the women working in the store at the time was injured, but one of the women told police the man held some kind of "pointed" weapon to her neck.

The man fled the store without getting any money. It is possible he got into a red sport utility vehicle driven by another person, but that has not been confirmed, Lt. Mark Ubry said.

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He described the man as black and heavyset, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and between 250 and 270 pounds, wearing a brown jacket, dark pants, black sneakers and an unknown type ball cap. He said the man was possibly missing some front teeth, had a mustache and wore glasses.

Police officers searched the shopping center in the 2400 block of Brunswick Pike (Business Route 1) and the surrounding area but did not locate the criminal.

Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At least two people were briefly detained for questioning based on the description provided by the women, but they were soon released after it was determined that neither was the would-be robber.

Township police meticulously processed the crime scene for evidence, including dusting the store's glass front doors for fingerprints. An officer could be seen collecting several fingerprint samples.   

Note: This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 4.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.