A trio of would-be robbers in Louisiana have been arrested after an unsuspecting convenience store clerk stepped outside just as the heist was to go down, foiling the plan, authorities said.

According to local police, the three suspects, which include a 20-year-old man and his 16-year-old wife, were about to enter the Quick Check Market in Slidell just as the store was closing at 11 p.m. Tuesday, WGNO-TV reported.

Just as they were about to enter the store, however, the clerk stepped outside and encountered a man "with a hood on, sunglasses and a bandana" and armed with a BB-gun, Assistant Chief Kevin Foltz of the Slidell Police told the TV station.

The clerk then yelled, startling the suspected robber, who then fled. Police tracked him down soon after, a short distance away.

"First he tried to tell us it's a prank, that it was just a joke and as they questioned him more he finally admitted they were going to rob the store," Foltz said.

Arrested by police were Ellis DarDar, 17, Marc Kuchler, 20, and Kuchler's 16-year old wife, whose name wasn't released. Each has been charged with attempted armed robbery.

The trio's plan called for Kuchler's wife, who was dressed in shorts and a low-cut shirt, to distract the clerk while the two men robbed the store, police said.

After the trio were caught, Foltz said, "they started confessing and telling everything they did and why they did it."

If the less-than-brilliant plan has local residents derisively referring to the suspects as "The Three Stooges" -- who could blame them?