Video shows Zion clerk lock attempted armed robbery suspects inside gas station

ZION, Ill. (WLS) -- Store surveillance video shows a quick-thinking clerk lock two attempted armed robbery suspects inside the gas station while he escapes to a back room to call 911.

The two armed suspects remain on the loose, but the quick actions of the store clerk may have made a difference. Police say two men tried to steal cash from the register at Jim's BP Foodshop in Zion just after 8:20 p.m. Monday.

The video shows two suspects with their faces covered walk into the store, brush past a customer, and put a plastic bag on the counter and point a gun at the clerk. When he doesn't react fast enough, they open fire.

The clerk jumped out the way, clicked the lock button to lock the suspects inside the store and managed to escape with his coworker to the back office to call 911. Realizing they can't get out, the suspects shot the glass door and got away.

"He say again, 'Put all the money in this bag.' And I just got kind of nervous, then I know what I had to do. Then I saw the bullet then I got scared," said Byju Matthew Raju, station clerk.

They two suspects did get away, but not with any money. There was an attempted robbery on this gas station a few months ago, and the clerk at the time used the same locking mechanism to keep the robbers out.

None of the clerks were hurt, but they learned a valuable lesson. They said they plan to keep all of the windows facing the customers closed from now on.

Police said both suspects were wearing black hats and covered their faces. The armed suspect was about 6 ft. tall and wore a red and yellow jacket with the letters "DHL" on the back. The other suspect was about 5 ft. 9 in. tall and wore a yellow sweatshirt.

Police said no arrests have been made.

Surveillance photo of suspects in attempted armed robbery at Zion gas station. (Zion Police Department)