Police are looking for three young black men who allegedly robbed a Covington loan business at gunpoint Monday and ran off into the woods with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to the Covington Police Department.

 The men, who had been seen in the shopping plaza for some time before they struck, came into Security Finance, a loan business on U.S. Highway 278 and Turner Lake Road, around 3:19 p.m., according to CPD spokesperson Det. Daniel Seals.

 "The first man went in and acted as if he was filling out an application for credit, and while he was in there, the other two came in," said Seals.

 The men brandished a black pistol, holding the two female employees up at gunpoint. They reportedly went behind the counter, emptied out the drawers and fled on foot.

The employees and multiple witnesses called and reported the event to police almost immediately. Officers searched the roads and woods around Turner Lake Road for nearly three hours in bad weather conditions. The heavy downpour prevented the tracking dogs from keeping the scent, and police called off the search after exhausting all possible leads, according to Seals.

The men were described as wearing jeans and T-shirts of varying colors. The employees were unable to describe distinguishing characteristics, which was not unusual in victims of an armed robbery situation, Seals said.

"These folks did the right kind of things. They held their lives over an amount of money," he said. "We'd rather have witnesses that are well and not injured."

"The best thing is to do what they say and try and observe as best you can," he said.

He said investigators are in the process of reviewing surveillance video footage from multiple businesses in the shopping plaza.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Covington police at (770) 786-7605. Tips can be left anonymously online at www.covingtonpolice.com/secretwitness