KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A would-be robber found out the hard way that the owner of a local grocery store would go to great lengths to protect her business.

Police said just after noon Friday a man entered the grocery store at 34th Street and Woodland Avenue and grabbed the cash register and ran for the exit. When the owner -- a former Kansas City police officer -- saw the man she pulled her weapon and shot at him as he ran away. Police said the man hopped into a waiting car and drove away.

"I'm the one that followed the car and got the license plate number," said Linda Williams, who saw the crime from across the street.

Being a friend of the owner, Williams jumped in her Chevy Trailblazer and followed the man and his driver, giving police the license number and letting them know where he was headed. Williams said she didn't think about the danger.

"These are my people," she said. "You don't come in here and take advantage of people that's been good to the neighborhood."

Police eventually caught the man in his Jaguar near 20th Street and Spruce Avenue. Police said the man suffered a gunshot wound in the buttocks and would be taken to a hospital by ambulance.

Williams said while it's a good ending for her friend, it's an event she hopes never happens again.

"Go get a job," she said. "You just don’t do stuff like that."