Two men were arrested Tuesday evening after an attempted armed robbery at the Deli Mart on Glade Road in Blacksburg.

William Charles Morva, 23, of Blacksburg and Jeffrey Scott Roberts, 21, of Richmond were charged with attempted armed robbery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, said Blacksburg Police Lt. Bruce Bradbery.

At close to 10 p.m., two masked men -- one carrying a shotgun, the other carrying a rifle -- attempted to enter the Deli Mart only to find that the door had been locked and the store closed for the evening.

A store clerk who saw the robbers called Blacksburg police, who chased the men. Morva and Roberts were arrested a short time later with help from the Montgomery Sheriff's Office and the Virginia State Police, Bradbery said.

In addition, police recovered a .22-caliber rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun -- both with rounds in the chambers -- as well as clothing and ski masks the robbers had discarded, Bradbery said.

Morva and Roberts on Wednesday afternoon were being held in the Montgomery County Jail.

Ann Hoback, the manager of the Deli Mart, said Tuesday's incident was the third time since 2004 that robbers have unsuccessfully targeted the store. Each time, the same clerk was working, she said.

In March, a man tried to reach over the counter and take money after making a purchase, but the clerk slammed the drawer and the robber ran away. A suspect was later arrested after boarding a bus on nearby University City Boulevard.

In July of 2004, the clerk was treated for a minor head injury after a robber struck her with a gun when she refused to hand over money -- and instead grabbed a phone and dialed police.

"It scares me for the employees here and for the community," Hoback said Wednesday. "I don't know what they intended. They definitely had the weapons to do damage."