WEST LIBERTY, Ky. (WKYT) - They work at Save-A-Lot, but police say employees saved the day when one of their coworkers was robbed last night.

"I think they deserve a bunch of recognition," said West Liberty Police chief Kelse Hensley.

Police say a woman who works there was leaving the store just before 10:00 last night. As she was walking through the parking lot, police say a man grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

"She lost her footing and fell. He looked over her and said, 'I'll kill you, b-i.....," said Chief Hensley.

Police say that man was 19-year-old Billy Joe Greene. They say as he got away with her purse, coworkers heard the woman's screams and ran after him. They chased him to the IGA about a quarter mile away where surveillance video showed the Save-A-Lot employees searching for the thief. Police say they cornered him behind a dumpster until help got there.

While the police chief is glad the situation had a happy ending, he said civilians shouldn't try to catch thieves on their own.

"I guess I shouldn't recommend that folks take that on their own, but I'm kind of proud that they did. There's a risk. If you choose to pursue evil, he may harm you. Certainly if the individual had been armed, he may have decided to use force to escape," said Chief Hensley.

Police were able to recover all the woman's belongings.