Two people running through a downtown parking lot during the night while carrying musical instruments raised the suspicions of a Lawrence police officer early Wednesday.

Shortly after midnight, the officer stopped to investigate the men as they tried to hide behind a column of bricks protruding from the south wall of Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt.

One of them carried an electronic keyboard and the other carried a wooden mandolin with a cord connected to it, according to a police report.

The men told the officer they were with a band and were running to catch their ride. They said they had been playing at the Jackpot Saloon, 943 Mass.

A subsequent investigation with witnesses at Jackpot Saloon led to the arrest of the suspects on charges of taking the instruments off the stage and fleeing with them. Booked into the Douglas County Jail were Nathan A. Peterson, 19, Topeka, and Patrick F. Galbraith, 18, Lawrence.

Both have been charged in Douglas County District Court with felony theft and are free on bond.