A pair of alleged burglars a little after dawn Sunday busted into a Butler convenience store and made off with a safe containing several thousands of dollars, city police said.

But the duo didn't get far after the suspected caper at the EZ Stop on North Main Street at West Penn Street.

A burglar alarm just before 6:30 a.m. alerted officers, who spotted the suspected crooks driving away in the getaway car. At a dead end, they got out and ran, police said, but both were nabbed.

The defendants — Matthew J. Cline, 36, and Trevor G. Walker, 30, both of Butler — are in the Butler County Prison on $25,000 bond each. Both are facing a list of charges including several felonies.

“It's unfortunate these kinds of things happen,” said Azeem Chatta, who has owned the store for about a year. “I work hard and always try to help the community.”

Chatta and his father and an employee were busy through the afternoon tending to the damage at the store, including placing plywood on the broken front glass door.

The store was closed briefly, only for an hour or two, after the crime but it remained open for business as usual for most of the day.

Police said they answered the alarm — about half an hour before the store was to open — and when they got there they noticed the front door had been smashed in. They also noticed a car with two occupants leaving the area, speeding west on West Penn Street.

Patrolman Benjamin Rogers turned around and began pursuing the car, police said. He activated his emergency lights and siren after the suspects ran a stop sign.

The pursuit continued onto North Washington Street and then West Fulton Street, which led to a dead end. The car stopped, police said, and the two occupants, later identified as Cline and Walker, got out and ran. So did a dog that was with them.

The defendants and dog ran through the grass as Rogers gave chase. The officer drew his service pistol and yelled, “Police, stop,” according to charging documents.

Walker stopped and gave himself up, laying down on his back. Cline, however, allegedly kept running with the dog. They ran behind the Tower Apartments, out of the officer's sight.

But police eventually found Cline several streets away, and arrested him, too. Police said he was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Back at the suspects' car, police said, officers saw a safe in the back seat. Police spoke to Chatta, who told them that the safe was missing from the store.

The safe, he told the Butler Eagle, weighed 400 to 500 pounds. He told police that it contained more than $6,000.

He said he kept the safe under a counter in the back of the store, bolted to the floor.

One or both of the suspects “must have ripped it off the floor,” he told the Eagle. He said both dials on the safe had been smashed. Police allege at some point the defendants tried to open it but failed.

Police said they interviewed Walker, who waived his Miranda rights. He allegedly told investigators that Cline went into the store and he stayed in the car.

He recounted that Cline came out pushing a safe, documents said. He said he helped Cline put it into the car.

“Walker stated that when he observed (Rogers) behind him, while aware of the emergency lights and siren,” according to the officer's affidavit, “he panicked and attempted to escape.”

An inspection of the store, police said, determined that more than $5,000 worth of damage was caused, including to the safe and front door, a cash register, a cooler door and a state lottery machine.

Chatta said it appeared that one or both of the suspects also unsuccessfully tried to get into the cash register, which was destroyed and had to be replaced.

Cline and Walker were both subsequently arraigned on felony charges of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and flight to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment, and a misdemeanor charge of possession of instruments of a crime.

Additionally, Cline was arraigned on felony charges of theft and criminal mischief, and Walker was arraigned on a felony charge of receiving stolen property and a misdemeanor charge of fleeing or attempting to elude police.

Chatta praised police for arresting the alleged crooks.

“I'm pleased they got them,” he said of police. “They were really quick. I'm thankful they caught them.”