Two people have been taken into custody in Virginia following a police chase and crash that started in Montgomery County, police say.

According to police and employees, the chase started after the suspects attempted an armed robbery at a pizza shop off of Clopper Road in Germantown just before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The pursuit continued on Interstate 270 and traveled all the way to the Beltway in Virginia.

The chase ended on the George Washington Memorial Parkway near Route 123 in McLean where the suspects were apprehended. A black vehicle was seen damaged on the roadway after an apparent crash.

"The first suspect came in, he came in and bought a soda and paid for that," said Shan Shafiq, an employee and brother of the pizza shop's owner. "That is when second suspect came in, he had the gun. He demanded money and I said, 'I can't give him money. The register can't open until owner comes.'"

"I came outside and I saw both suspects there. They pulled out a gun on me saying, 'I'm going to kill you, rob you and take your money' and whatnot," said Afnan Shafiq, the shop's owner. "And then I was like, 'Somebody call the police!' They got in their car [and] took off. I got in my car and started chasing them. We went all the way down to Clarksburg outlets. We got on [I-270] southbound."

He added, "Something just kicked in me - follow them. Because they tried to come harm my business, my employees and I take everybody who works here as family."


The incident brought traffic to a standstill on the George Washington Memorial Parkway before police cleared the scene.

There were no injuries reported, officials say.