When armed criminals band together, they expect to shock and intimidate their chosen victims into compliance.

In Bayou St. John last week, three armed robbers chose the wrong victims:

The NOPD says two people were walking to a parked car in the 3100 block of Ursulines Avenue around 9:00 p.m. Thursday when they were approached by three people.

Police say the gunmen asked both victims to get on the ground, but that didn’t happen.

“His first thought was to protect his female companion, which he did by pushing her to the ground to keep her out of harm’s way and then fired a couple of warning shots,” said attorney Michael Kennedy who represents one of the victims. He says his client declined to be interviewed.

Police say after the trio were shot at, they started running towards Bayou St. John dropping a clue that would link one of the suspects to the crime.

Early Friday night, NOPD officers were spotted canvassing the area where police arrested two suspects the night before.

Police say 18-year-old Aaron Smith and 17-year-old Hakeem Carter were taken into custody in the 1000 block of Hagan Street, not far from where shots were fired.

Now they both face two counts of attempted armed robbery.

The third suspect is known, and it seems like it is simply a matter of time before he is apprehended.

While it would have been preferable that the concealed carrier were more accurate with his his shots (all four misses could have just as easily entered someone else’s home), at least he and his companion escaped injury and the criminals who attacked him will likely join the local penitentiary’s dating scene.