A McDonalds in France | Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images | Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty images French armed robbers hold up McDonald’s full of elite police Two thieves bit off more than they could chew when they attacked a fast-food restaurant in eastern France.

Two armed robbers came off second best when they tried to hold up a McDonald's in eastern France in the presence of almost a dozen off-duty members of France's elite GIGN police.

AFP reports the robbers burst into the restaurant in the École-Valentin commune late Sunday, with one firing a shot in the air while the other raided the till.

Little did they know that among around 40 diners were 11 off-duty members of France's GIGN, an elite police force specializing in hostage situations.

The police waited until the end of the robbery before they intervened so as not to endanger other patrons, Besançon public prosecutor Edwige Roux-Morizot said Monday.

One thief was captured after he fell over while attempting to flee with around €2000 cash. The second was shot in the abdomen by police and arrested.

The two men, now in hospital, will face charges of armed robbery and violence, Roux-Morizot said.

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