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But, the entire crime in progress was caught on the store's video surveillance system, and 7News has obtained a copy of that footage. Tonight, we take a closer look at what happened, and a few of the surreal elements in this robbery. Daniel Ortiz reports:

An unusual robbery played out yesterday at B&J Store in San Ignacio Town.

Footage from the store's surveillance system shows 3 men entering the store. 2 approach together, one dressed in white and the other in red. The third approaches from the opposite direction and is dressed in blue.

The man in white approaches the counter pretending to be a legitimate customer. He pulls his mask down while paying the cashier and we're able to see his face.

Meanwhile the man in blue picks up a bottle of water from the beverages section and approaches the cashier to pay. The man in white stands aside and allows him to pay.

Everything appears normal until the man in red appears in behind the counter with a gun.

The Cashier is visibly distressed, but the man in blue waits patiently with his bottle of water, ready to pay.

The robbers leave the store momentarily as the cashier takes the man-in-blue's money and gives him change. when they return, they've taken the storeowner hostage.

The man in red now puts a gun to the storeowner's head.

Meanwhile the man in blue seems either unconcerned or unaware that there's a hostage situation behind him.

The female cashier leaves the cash register and the man in white begins to clean it out.

The man in blue simply stands in place. He doesn't try to stop the assailants nor does he try to escape.

The man in white continues to clean out the cash, but passes a few bills to the man in blue. The man in red who continues to hold the storeowner at gunpoint motions for the man in blue to take the bills. As he does so a bill falls to the floor and he bends down to pick it up.

The man in red forces the storeowner to the back of the store and they make their exit, helping themselves to more items as they leave. they then flee the scene.

Reliable reports are that right after the robbers released him, the owner, identified as 31-year-old Bing Chi Zhu, ran upstairs to retrieve his licensed 9mm pistol. He then raced back downstairs, and he chased after the robbers. He fired 5 shots at them, but they managed to escape.

We are told that the cops searched the area and found expended shells from the storeowner's licensed weapon, a pair of slippers and a small spatter of blood. Both the blood and slippers are believed to come from one of the robbers.

As for the man in blue, the cops can't decide yet whether he was an accomplice to the crime or just a customer who happened to be present when the robbers attacked. Currently, the cops think he simply froze when he realized the danger he was in. But, there is still no explanation as to why the robbers handed him some of the stolen money.