GLENDORA (CBSLA.com) — A student film crew shooting a robbery scene at a Glendora coffee shop were almost fired on by police who believed an actual crime was taking place.

The incident happened at Classic Coffee on North Glendora Avenue around 7:20 a.m. Thursday.

Passerby Linda Bergslien told CBS2’s Cristy Fajardo that she thought she was witnessing a robbery and feared for her life. She immediately called 911.

“They had masks on, and the one had a gun in his hand, and it was clear they were ready to enter the building,” she said.

Eight officers responded to the scene.

A sergeant and two officers stormed into the coffee shop and saw what appeared to be two armed men. Police said one suspect froze and didn’t drop his weapon.

One officer got ready to shoot when another intervened.

“When he didn’t drop the gun, one of the officers reached out and pulled the gun out of his hand,” said Capt. Tim Staab of the Glendora Police Department.

Seconds later, the sergeant saw a camera, and the actors explained they were shooting a short film.

Police said the crew didn’t pull any permits and didn’t notify cops of the filming. Because it was a small production, there were no signs of a movie shoot.

The actors also removed or blackened the orange tips on their toy guns.

“It was extremely reckless and thank goodness our officers responded in the right way,” said Staab.