A timely phone call to 9-1-1 and some quick work by police thwarted an armed robbery at a south side grocery store Friday morning.

St Joseph Police responded shortly after 11:15 a.m. Friday at the Sack and Save grocery store at Lake Avenue and Missouri in south St Joseph.

Captain Matt Rock of the St Joseph Police Department says an employee at the store was on the phone with dispatchers, and an officer was just outside the business as the robbery commenced. That officer spotted the two armed suspects as they fled the store.

“As the call went out, we had an officer who was in the area,” Rock said.  “He asked if the subject had left on foot or in a vehicle, and was advised by the caller that they were still in the store at that time.”

“So we had somebody right on top of this.  We were very fortunate.”

Captain Rock says the pair discarded firearms, cash, hoodies and bandanas as they fled the scene to the east of the store.  Officers were scouring the area to collect that evidence.  Rock says they recovered an undetermined amount of cash and at least one weapon.

Both suspects were taken into custody. There were no injuries reported.