Four young teens tried to rob a D'Iberville convenience store. One was shot, cops say.

An attempted armed robbery that ended with a store owner shooting one of the masked suspects took another turn when police interviewed the suspects.

The four are believed to be ages 14 and 16 and they used a vehicle reported stolen in Hattiesburg, D'Iberville Police Chief Wayne Payne said.

One of them was shot in the abdomen and was taken to a hospital for treatment, Payne said.

The owner of Popps-Lamey Convenience Store at Popp's Ferry Road and Lamey Street reported the attempted holdup about 6 a.m. Monday. The owner told police he fired shots and thought he had struck one of them.

"A witness saw them put the masks on before entering the store and notified us before following them after they fled the store," Payne said.

"The three men jumped in a car that had a driver waiting for them. The witness followed them until Biloxi police joined the pursuit."

Police found the vehicle near Popp's Ferry and Cedar Lake roads. The four ran to the south side of Biloxi High School, where Biloxi police brought in K-9 units that helped capture them, Payne said.

That's when police realized the suspects are not men, but minors.

Police Capt. Marty Griffin said the juveniles face criminal charges.

They were taken to the Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center to be held pending a hearing before a youth court judge, Griffin said.

The attempted robbery is still under investigation.

This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 7:21 AM.