Lawrence 17-Year-Old Arrested as Alleged Gunman in Tuesday's Armed Robbery of Route 206 Jewelry Store

Updated:

Lawrence Township police have made one arrest in connection with the armed robbery on Tuesday (Feb. 22) at Marco’s Jewelry LLC and are still looking for other suspects, Lt. Charles Edgar, a police spokesman, confirmed.

The 17-year-old suspect – a township resident whose identity cannot be released because he is still considered a juvenile under the law – was taken into custody by Lawrence Township police about 2 p.m. Tuesday and charged with the crime later that evening, Edgar said.

He said the boy was charged with aggravated assault, robbery, theft, unlawful possession a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

The holdup at the jewelry store in the 1100 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206) was reported to police at 11:31 a.m. Tuesday.

“The investigation is still ongoing,” Edgar said.

He said police know for certain that the 17-year-old had an accomplice who acted as a lookout while the 17-year-old allegedly used a handgun to demand and receive an undisclosed amount of cash from a store employee.

A witness who spoke to Lawrenceville Patch and to police reported seeing two men run from the area of the jewelry store and jump into a sport utility vehicle was that parked on Lawn Park Avenue.

The witness said the vehicle sped away “before the doors were even closed,” leading police to suspect there might have been a third person acting as the driver of the getaway vehicle, Edgar said.

But he noted that the involvement of a third person is still under investigation.

Police ask anyone with information about the robbery to call detectives at (609) 896-1111.

Tuesday proved to be a busy morning for Lawrence Township police. The armed robbery at Marco's Jewlery was reported just 20 minutes after a man allegedly tried to break into a home on Glenview Drive. A suspect was arrested in connection with that attempted burglary.