LAFAYETTE — The night clerk at a Hampton Inn in Lafayette chased two thieves from the hotel early Thursday, firing a shot at them when one of them threaten him, according to police.

The clerk had been called away from the front desk area to another part of the hotel, and when he returned to the lobby about 3 a.m., he found a man and a woman trying to get into the register, according to police.

The clerk yelled at the two then chased them out of the hotel, running south from the hotel's entrance in the 3900 block of South Street, according to police.

One of the suspects — the man — stopped and raised a pair of bolt cutters above his head to threaten the pursuing clerk, according to police. That's when the clerk drew his sidearm and fired one shot at the man, police said.

Police found a spent shell casing matching the clerk's pistol. Officers could not find any indication of the bullet striking any nearby buildings, cars or property, police said.

They also have no evidence that the bullet struck the man with the bolt cutters, and no one had shown up at area hospitals with a bullet wound, police said.

After the shot, the two continued to run away, and the clerk did not chase them, according to police reports.

The two are believed to have made off with some of the money from the register, police said.

The man is described as white, between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-11 tall. He had a dark mustache and wore a black hoodie sweatshirt under a green coat, according to police.

Police do not have a detailed description of the woman.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Lafayette police at 765-807-1200 or the WeTip Hotline at 800-782-7463.

Reach Ron Wilkins at 765-420-5231 or at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

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