FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- Police in Franklin said a 10-year-old girl tried to rob a Mapco Express late Monday night, Nashville television station WSMV reported.

The clerk said the main reason he called police was that he was worried about the girl being out so late and trying to rob a store.

He said he wasn't sure what the girl wanted until she threw a rock that struck him in the chest. The rock was all she was armed with. The clerk said he was so stunned that the girl had to ask the clerk three times for the money.

"At that time, the clerk said, 'You need to leave the store,' and came around the counter toward the front of the store. At that time, the child ran out," said Franklin Police Detective David Dixon.

It was the first attempted robbery at the busy Mapco, which is located just off Interstate 65.

The clerk said the main reason he called police was because he was worried about the young girl being out so late and trying to rob a store.

"I think he did the right thing, and the child was returned safely, and that’s what counts," said Mapco employee Cordelia Ream.

The girl had run away from home that night, and police said they believe if they charge her, they might be able to find out what's going on in her life that might lead her to attempt a robbery.

"That’s our main concern, is kind of getting behind, you know, what the problem was, and we want to make sure we take care of that problem," Dixon said.

Police said it appears that the child has a stable home life and was well taken care of.