Arrest made in attempted robbery at post office

FORT WAYNE, Ind.  (WANE)  Officers have arrested a man in connection with an attempted armed robbery at the post office on Hessen Cassel Rd.

Julius W. Lawson, 34,  faces a federal robbery charge.

Police said just after 3:30 pm on December 19, 2012, two people wearing masks and armed with guns entered the Diplomat Plaza Post Office located at 4171 Hessen Cassel Rd.

An employee called 911 and reported that she and other workers had moved to a safe part of the building and that the gunmen were still inside. Customers were also inside the post office when the robbery took place.

Worried that they might be dealing with a hostage situation, police set up a perimeter and evacuated several apartment units in a complex nearby. Police also closed off traffic at the intersection of Hessen Cassel and McKinnie.

Police searched the area but weren't able to locate suspects at that time.

Lawson was taken into custody without incident on January 2, 2013. A second suspect remains at large.