Two Marines stop armed robber at Starbucks on Congress

AUSTIN, Texas - Two marines caught a man this morning who witnesses say held up clerks at a downtown coffee shop. Investigators are now checking to see if the suspect is linked to other recent hold ups.

The northwest corner of 6th and Congress was closed Friday morning. Inside the yellow tape, crime scene investigators cataloged evidence scattered on the sidewalk; cash, blood and a gun. Witnesses say inside a Starbucks, shortly after 9:00 am, a man held up the employees with what turned out to be an air pistol. As the gunman tried to escape he was chased down by two customers. It all played out in front of Clayton Holmes.

"I'm walking about right here, all of a sudden 3 guys come barreling out of the doors and this got about right over in here and these two guys were on top of him, one got, was bleeding from his head, and the other guy was saying I'm a marine, don't fight it, he had him just kind of pinned down on the top wasn't choking him or anything," said Holmes.

The two heroes are just that. They're U.S. Marine veterans. Austin police did not release their names but FOX7 has learned one works in the office building above the Starbucks and the other is described as a regular customer. Yolanda Guzmen says she walked into the coffee shop right after the marines made the capture.

Yolanda Guzman says she walked into the coffee shop right after the Marines made the capture.

" I'm just in a little bit in shock right now, so I don't know, I'm just glad I wasn't inside when this happened, I do feel sorry for the staff because they are so shaken up by this," said Guzman.

The sidewalk take-down investigators say didn't stop just one crime but apparently has solved several others. The suspect is linked to 6 downtown business robberies and one assault - because of those active cases his name and mug shot were not immediately released. Customers who were at the coffee shop - praised the two marines who came to the rescue.

"It's great I think it shows they have a lot of character and instinctually something to be proud of," said Tom Imboden one of the customers who walked out of the coffee shop.

For Clayton Holmes, there is no question the two men were heroes.

"They just went into action, and took care of the situation and I thought really did the right thing and it was pretty amazing to watch really."