Two Louisiana men face charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault in the Tuesday morning robbery of the Dollar General store on Atlanta Highway in Oakwood, police said.
Oakwood Police Sgt, Danny Sridej identified the suspects as Thomas Robinson, Jr., 20, and Marques Johnson, 18, both of Monroe.
He said both suspects rushed into the store at 3572 Atlanta Highway around 9:00 a.m.
"They had the handgun(s) drawn and threatened the cashier, who was at the front at the register, for the money," Sridej said. "The customer, who happened to be at the back shopping, heard the commotion and saw the suspects with the handguns. She was able to hide behind a shelf and call 911."
Sridej said the customer's immediate call and description led to a quick response by law enforcement, including Flowery Branch and Oakwood Police and the Hall County Sheriff's Office.
"As the suspects (were) running out with the money, the cashier, who was the victim, called 911 and gave (an) additional description on the suspects," Sridej said.
Robinson was captured at Plainview Mobile Home Park by a Hall County Sheriff's Deputy. Johnson was nabbed with the help of an employee at a nearby business, according to Sridej.
Authorities blocked Interstate 985 northbound in the area during the search. Both suspects were in custody less than 30 minutes after they fled the store.
"Basically it's like teamwork between law enforcement and the community. The citizens in the area, I guess, pretty much saw all of the police cars and (were) kind of looking out for anything suspicious, and they called and assisted us...," Sridej said.
Officers recovered an actual gun used in the robbery. The other weapon turned out to be an Airsoft pistol, according to Sridej. He said authorities also recovered the money and the cashier's cell phone.
"They swiped the victim's cell phone to keep her from calling 911, but she was able to call, using the store telephone," Sridej said.
Robinson and Johnson were also both charged with wearing bandannas to conceal their faces during the commission of a robbery. Deputies were in the process of booking them into the Hall County Jail Tuesday afternoon.
