Three men on Friday afternoon approached a Phillipsburg home in order to rob someone but as one of them tried to force his way inside, the victim fought back and, after a gun changed hands three times, the would-be robbers ran off and were soon arrested, town police reported Monday.

One of the men knocked on the door before the altercation at 273 Mercer St., police Capt. Michael Swick said. After the victim opened the door and battled the intruder, one of the men pulled out a handgun and struck the resident in the head, Swick said. The victim then took control of the gun and hit one of the men in the head, police added. One of the suspects got control of the gun and the three ran away, Swick said.

Officers were called about 2:20 p.m., Swick said. The resident was able to provide descriptions of the attackers, Swick said.

A short time later, the three men were located nearby and taken into custody in the 500 block of South Main Street, Swick and another report from the scene said. Detectives searched the area and found a handgun under a nearby parked camper, Swick and the on-scene report said.

The robbery try was not a random act, Swick said.

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men --including Quazeir Z. Featherson -- into custody. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men -- including Shareef M. Brown -- into custody. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men -- including Andrew Tran -- into custody. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Who are the three suspects and with what are they charged?

The three men, all from the 100 block of Main Street in the Berks County borough of Wernersville, face a variety of charges and are being held in Warren County jail facing court action, Swick said.

Shareef M. Brown, 24, was charged with attempted armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of a firearm for unlawful purpose, possession of a handgun without a permit, and disposing of a defaced handgun, Swick said.

Quazeir Z. Featherson, 24, was charged with attempted armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery, Swick said.

Andrew Tran, 27, was charged with attempted armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of a firearm for unlawful purpose, possession of a handgun without a permit, and certain persons not to possess a firearm, Swick said.

The attempted armed robbery charges are first-degree offenses and carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in state prison, police said. All the rest of the charges are second-degree offenses which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in state prison, Swick said.

Town police were assisted by the Warren County Prosecutor's Office and the Warren County Regional Crime Scene Team, Swick said.

See more photos below.

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper between the two crime scenes. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try at 273 Mercer St., seen here. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try at 273 Mercer St., seen here. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper between the two crime scenes. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men -- including Andrew Tran -- into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men -- including Quazeir Z. Featherson -- into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper between the two crime scenes. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A screwdriver was apparently discarded on South Main Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men -- including Shareef M. Brown -- into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A screwdriver was apparently discarded on South Main Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men -- including Shareef M. Brown -- into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. Other evidence was recovered from a garbage can on South Main Street. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. Other evidence was recovered from a garbage can on South Main Street. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A screwdriver was apparently discarded on South Main Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

Phillipsburg police take three men into custody, Dec. 14, 2018, in the 500 block of South Main Street in connection to an armed robbery try in the 200 block of Mercer Street. A handgun was recovered under a camper. (Tim Wynkoop | For lehighvalleylive.com)

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Freelance photographer Tim Wynkoop contributed to this report.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter@TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.