In State v. Barnes, 125 N.C. App. 75, 79, 479 S.E.2d 236, 238, aff'd per curiam, 347 N.C. 350, 492 S.E.2d 355 (1997), the defendant and an accomplice ran out of a drug store carrying bottles of pills for which they had not paid. Barnes, 125 N.C. App. at 76, 479 S.E.2d at 237. Store employees chased the defendants to the defendants' vehicle and attempted to retrieve the stolen items. Id. The defendants cut one of the employees with a knife and threatened him with a gun, causing the employee to back away and to permit the defendants to leave the premises. Id. at 76-77, 479 S.E.2d at 237.