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Less than three months after armed robbers shot the owner of a York Township jewelry store, police on Tuesday arrested three men seen lurking around the store.
One of the men had a gun, according to York Area Regional Police Sgt. Jeff Dunbar.
"We don't know what they were doing there," he said. "They're not being too cooperative with who they are and where they're from."
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, someone at White Jewelers called 911 to report the three men appeared to be acting suspiciously at the St. Charles Way Center, the sergeant said. The strip mall is across South Queen Street from York County School of Technology.
"At least one of them was in White Jewelers for a while," Dunbar said.
Foot chase: None of the stores or businesses in St. Charles Way Center was robbed, he said, and no one was hurt.
"When our officers tried to approach one of the guys, he took off running," Dunbar said.
As the man fled from officers, he either tossed or dropped a gun, according to the sergeant.
"Officers were able to take him and the gun into custody," Dunbar said.
He said police will release the men's names if charges are filed, but it's not yet known whether charges will be filed.
"We're still working on that," Dunbar said. "We're still trying to sort out who they are and what they were doing there."
He said officers don't yet know whether the men intended to rob White Jewelers or any other business in the center.
The background: White Jewelers owner John White, 57, was shot in the abdomen, left arm and the shoulder/chest area during a stickup at his store about 10:30 a.m. July 12.
He survived his wounds and his store reopened after being closed for about three weeks.
So far, police have arrested one man for the stickup -- Jamell L. Smallwood, 39, of North Fourth Street in Allentown. The FBI found him being treated for a gunshot wound in New York City's Brooklyn Hospital, according to police.
Smallwood was accidentally shot by one of his accomplices during the holdup, according to police.
He remains in county prison awaiting trial on charges including attempted homicide and robbery.
Taken during the July 12 robbery was high-end jewelry, including watches that cost several thousand dollars each, police have said.
White has owned and managed White Jewelers since 1988, according to the store's website, and he is a second-generation jewelry-store owner.
-- Staff writer Liz Evans Scolforo can also be reached at levans@yorkdispatch.com.
