LYLE — Four Austin men were arrested Sunday after allegedly robbing the Freeborn County Co-Op Oil in Lyle at gunpoint.

Police Chief Brian Krueger said Monday that Austin officers and Mower County Sheriff’s deputies were put on alert after a gas station employee called in the robbery, which happened just before 9 a.m. Sunday.

Officers stopped the men at 10th Drive Southeast in Austin near Highway 218 shortly thereafter, though at first police believed two men were inside the vehicle. Krueger said two men in the back of the car originally ducked under the seats, but put their heads up once police had stopped the vehicle.

Police recovered a long-barreled handgun, and large amounts of cash and checks made out to the Lyle gas station from the vehicle’s center console. The police report did not list how much money was stolen.

The men are being held in Mower County jail pending formal charges. Krueger said the gas station employee appeared to have been alone when the robbery took place and was unharmed. Store employees declined to comment when reached Sunday morning.