Two Gadsden men have been charged in connection with the armed robbery of a Rainbow Drive convenience store.

Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin stated in a news release that 19 year old Patrick Louis Ray and 26 year old Derick Rayshaun Williams have each been charged with First Degree Robbery.

The two men stand accused of entering a Kangaroo Express store located at 1747 Rainbow Drive shortly after midnight Friday (July 26th) with one suspect jumping over the counter in an attempt to open the register, while the other suspect stood at the door, commanding an employee to open-up the safe.  When the clerk was unable to do so, the men pushed her into a restroom.

An alert citizen waiting at a nearby red light saw what was going on and called 9-1-1.

She then followed the two as they fled the scene in a green 1995 Ford Taurus.

Sheriff Entrekin said the detailed description provided by the woman was a huge help in bringing the pair to justice, as officers located the vehicle at Forest River apartments, less than ten minutes later.

Both Ray and Williams are being held in the Etowah County Detention Center, on a cash bond of $50,000 each.