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A 26-year-old man was arrested in connection with a Friday afternoon jewelry store robbery in Charlotte's University City area.
The robbery happened at the Brownlee Jewelers on University City Boulevard just north of East W.T. Harris Boulevard around 3:30 p.m.
No gunshots were fired, and no one was hurt.
Witnesses told NewsChannel 36 that they saw the suspect walk into nearby restaurants after the robbery, before running into the woods.
Lisa Hyde was eating at Monterrey's when, she said, the suspect walked out of the restaurant and ran into the woods.
"When the cops came, I asked if he was looking for someone," she said. "He said yes, and I told them what happened. I kind of gave them the general direction in which to go."
Edward Lee owns Tattoo Charlotte, located in a shopping center just two miles down University City Boulevard from Brownlee Jewelers.
"He came in and said he wanted a tattoo," Lee said. "So I let him flip through the books. He seemed agitated, looked out the window and asked to use the bathroom. I said no, on account of him being so high strung. That's when the door opened and the K-9 unit came inside and handcuffed him."
Paul William Reardon, of Katy, Texas, was taken into custody around 5 p.m.
Police said Reardon had stolen items with him when he was arrested. He's charged with armed robbery and possession of a gun by a felon. Reardon remained in Mecklenburg jail Saturday under a $200,000 bond.
Records show Reardon was convicted of three counts of common law robbery in Mecklenburg County in 2010.
The Charlotte Observer contributed.
