A quick thinking employee of Lee’s Food Mart on Highway 63 in Arthur responded well in order to foil an attempted robbery late Monday night.

Just before midnight, Lance Norris, an employee of Lee’s Food Mart, was closing the store when he was approached by a white male who was armed with a pistol and demanding money.

Norris reported the man came around the corner of the building just as he was closing the store. Norris said the man told him to give him the deposit. When Norris replied that he did not have the deposit, the man instructed Norris to go back inside and get the money.

Norris said he went back into the store as if he were getting the money and locked the door behind him then proceeded to the store’s back room. There he locked himself in the room and called Claiborne County’s 911.

The man, who was reportedly wearing a ski mask and camouflage jacket, did not attempt to gain entry to the store and quickly left the scene.

Several officers from Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) soon arrived on the scene then pursued the robber, but they did not apprehend the suspect.

The CCSO will be investigating the incident further and more information will be provided as it develops.

The Campbell County Sheriff’s Department also assisted by setting up a road block on the Claiborne and Campbell County line.