MACON, Ga. — Mallory McClendon puts all his attention on shining shoes, but on Monday afternoon, commotion outside his shoe store caught his eye.
"It kind of startled me for a second, and then once I realized who was involved in it, I had to do something," says McClendon.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office says 59-year-old Jesse Lee Lester came into Habersham Records just before 2 p.m., showing a knife and demanding money to the store owner.
He cut the woman on the hand when she tried to run away.
The sheriff's office says he took some store items and left. They didn't say what was stolen.
McClendon saw the robber run off and decided to take action.
"I jumped in my car and I went to follow him, and I called 911 to let them know his location," says McClendon.
The sheriff's office says deputies caught Lester around 2:30 p.m. on Hendley Street. He was arrested and charged with armed robbery.
"The good work, the work of somebody seeing what was happening, and seeing another business owner in need and tracking the suspect really helped us today," says Sheriff David Davis.
McClendon says it was something he felt he had to do.
"We're a close-knit group over here. We watch each other's back," says McClendon.
The store owner says she was released from the Medical Center, Navicent Health after her hand was stitched up, and says she is doing OK.
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