Two young men were arrested Tuesday morning shortly after a Clanton convenience store was robbed at gunpoint.

Matthew William Raymond, 24, and Jonah Morris Allen, 19, were apprehended by a Chilton County Sheriff’s Deputy and Clanton Police and charged in connection with the robbery of I-65 Exxon at Exit 208.

Allen is from Calera, and Raymond was carrying a Florida driver’s license but reportedly has Clanton ties.

Clanton Detective Keith Maddox gave a brief account of the incident:

At approximately 4:30 a.m., a masked gunman entered the store and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk handed over the money, waited for the man to exit the building and hit the alarm. The gunman and an accomplice fled the scene in a gold-colored Chevrolet pickup.

Within minutes, officers and the deputy arrived on the scene and a BOLO (be on the lookout) was issued for the getaway vehicle. The deputy immediately headed south on Interstate 65 and caught up with a vehicle that fit the description near the Verbena exit. CPD officers arrived shortly thereafter.

There were two men in the vehicle wearing clothing that matched the description provided to law enforcement. A pistol and numerous small bills were recovered from the suspects.

“Our officers did a great job, and the Sheriff’s Department responded quickly and did a great job of catching up with them,” Maddox said.

Both suspects are facing charges of robbery first degree. They are being held in the Chilton County Jail on $60,000 bond each. Additional charges may be pending, Maddox said.

“Nobody got hurt, most importantly,” he said.