3 Toronto men arrested after attempted robbery at Kitchener mall

Three men from Toronto were arrested after an attempted robbery at a Kitchener mall on Monday night, Waterloo Regional Police say.

Police say they were contacted after three men entered Fairview Park Mall carrying duffel bags at around 8:15 p.m.

The trio went to visit two stores in the mall, but turned back and left the mall after discovering that the stores had already closed for the day.

After the men left the mall, police met them and arrested two of the three suspects. The third took off on foot but was tracked down quickly by officers.

Police say they found sledgehammers inside the duffel bags.

The three men, who were between the ages of 18 and 24, are all facing charges of attempted robbery (two counts), possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and disguise with intent.

Police did not say whether there was any connection between the arrests and the plethora of  smash-and-grab robberies that have been occurred throughout Waterloo Region and beyond over the past number of months.

Last week, there one occurred at a jewelry store in Elmira while there were two at Fairview Park Mall over a two-day span last month.