ZACHARY - A yogurt shop employee managed to successfully fend off a would-be robber during a Sunday (Dec. 20) evening incident, according to The Advocate.

Yogurt Bayou, a small shop nestled between a boutique and a lending company on Zachary's High Street seems an unlikely target for thieves. But according to Zachary Police, this is exactly what it became on Sunday evening. 

Zachary Police Chief David McDavid told The Advocate that a man who made his way into the shop, intent on robbing it, was thwarted by the shops young employee, who refused to back down.

When police arrived on scene, officers found the employee injured and the store's would-be attacker, "behind the building bleeding profusely," Chief McDavid said Monday morning.

The man was so severely wounded that officers applied tourniquets before he was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. He's since undergone surgery, McDavid added.

McDavid told The Advocate that the entire incident was caught on surveillance video.

The video shows the suspect walking into the shop and ordering yogurt around 7:45 p.m. As the store employee was ringing up his order, the man reached behind the counter and "made an aggressive and violent move" in an apparent attempt to rob the business, McDavid said.

He went on to explain that the young woman armed herself with something, possibly a knife, and defended herself. Her exact age wasn't immediately available. It appears she was working alone when the incident occurred, McDavid said.

"You could tell she was fearing for her life and took action to save herself," the chief said.

Police say they linked the same suspect to a previous burglary that occurred shortly before the attempted robbery at Yogurt Bayou.

Police have yet to release the suspect's name and are awaiting an update on his medical condition. 

The young employee was also reportedly hospitalized for her injuries.