Citizens help police capture 2 suspects in Radio Shack robbery - FOX 35 News Orlando

Surveillance video from inside a Radio Shack in Roseville shows four men prying open the door and heading straight to the back where they entered another door and cracked open a safe, taking over 50 cell phones and tons of cash.

The four men then took off in two vehicles.  Roseville Police caught up with them near Moross in Detroit.  There were two getaway cars and only one police car.  The bad guys had split up, so the officer had to decide which car to pursue.

"Chased it for several blocks and then terminated the pursuit, through residential neighborhoods it wasn't worth it, so he let them go," said Roseville Police Chief James Berlin.

The bad guys weren't off the hook, though.  Residents that observed the chase eventually saw the car parked and the two men trying to get into a house, so they called police.

"It would not have happened without citizen cooperation in this case," Berlin said.  "We're powerless without citizen help, and people need to stand up and be counted.  In this case here, because of just a couple quick phone calls, we were able to catch these two guys."

The group of men that hit the Roseville Radio Shack store are also believed to have been involved in robberies at other Radio Shack locations.

"It's our... belief that they're involved in smash and grabs all over Southeastern Michigan where they're actually targeting cell phone stores and stealing just the high-end, latest cell phones," Berlin explained.

The phrase it's better to be lucky than good could apply to this case.  When the Roseville police officer had to decide which car to go after during the pursuit, the car he chose was the one with all the phones and money inside.