A New York man has been charged in connection with a Monday afternoon robbery off East Avenue in which a victim was struck in the head, according to the Hagerstown Police Department.

The man charged, Kristopher Shawn Lawrence, 26, of 415 Lexington Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., allegedly fled from detectives at the Hagerstown Police Department after he had been interviewed by the investigators, according to a news release.

Lawrence, who fled while being led to a cruiser in handcuffs, was caught after a brief foot chase, the release said. Lawrence was being held in the county’s central booking facility Monday night waiting to be arraigned, a central booking spokeswoman said.

Lawrence was charged with robbery, escape and numerous other charges, according to the release.

City police were sent to the unit block of East Avenue at 4:30 p.m. for a robbery that had just occurred, according to the release.

Police found two victims who said they were in a shed in an alley when they were approached by three males, one of whom was displaying a handgun, the release said.

The suspects started going through the pockets of the victims in an attempt to steal items, police said.

The man with the handgun struck one of the victims in the head, causing a laceration, police said.

The robbers got cash and a cell phone, police said.

Through an investigation, officers learned that one of the robbers might have been in the 20 block of Madison Avenue. Officers said they responded to the area and found Lawrence.