An employee at a local jewelry store in Oakland, California, fired a weapon at two suspected armed robbers on Monday, giving them an unwelcome surprise, FOX2 reports.

The employee, who owned the 9mm handgun and did not want to be identified, said he saw a Toyota Camry approaching the store from the other side of the road, police said. fox 2.

“I thought it was a robbery because I saw two men sneak up quickly,” he said. (Related: Poll: Americans trust 'good guys with guns' to stop mass shootings more than police)

Both suspects, who were wearing masks, had guns drawn when they entered the jewelry store, FOX2 reported.

In response to the suspect's orders to “don't move or I'll shoot you,” the employee said he “pointed the gun at me,” and fired the first round from his 9mm gun, the newspaper reported. .

The suspects opened fire and the gunfight “lasted about 20 seconds,” the employee said.

FOX2 reported that the suspects fired approximately 20 shots from a .40 caliber handgun with a drum magazine and a 9mm handgun with an extended magazine, both of which were illegal high-capacity magazines.

“And I ducked down and waited until I saw him scramble. The other guy was still shooting. Then I stuck my head out and fired about seven more shots.” Told.

According to FOX2, as the suspects sped away, one of the men left behind his shoes, and his partner was able to hold his shoulder before the injured thief was hit by a getaway car driven by a third suspect. It is possible that he may have shot him.

Oakland police did not press charges against the worker, the paper said.

Inside the store, which was riddled with bullet holes from the shootout, employees had a message for other would-be criminals, FOX2 reported.

“If you come back again, try to do the same thing. We just protect ourselves. We have to do that at this point,” he said.