OAKLAND -- Police officers their way to the scene of a reported robbery Wednesday made a lucky find: They stopped and detained two men matching the victim's description, and continued on their way to meet her, where she identified them as her attackers.

The robbery was reported about 7 p.m. in the 800 block of 31st street, between Market Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. A woman visiting from Stockton called to report she'd just been robbed and gave a description of two suspects, police Officer Johnna Watson said.

Officers driving to the scene saw two men matching the woman's description and pulled over, Watson said. They detained the two men and the woman identified them as her attackers, Watson said.

Police recovered the woman's stolen property as well as a handgun from the two suspects, who were booked into county jail, Watson said.

The key factors in the quick arrest, Watson said, were that the victim called 911 immediately, and that she was able to describe her attackers, lessons Watson said should be valuable to anyone who is the victim of a crime.

"You always want to look for distinctive features of a suspect," Watson said. There are the obvious ones: a person's height, build, hair, facial features and clothing, whether they have a limp or any tattoos, and so on."

But a key feature many witnesses overlook, Watson said, are a suspect's shoes.

"People running from a crime will often discard their

She added, "Often people will hesitate to report a crime because they're afraid, or they feel it might take time for the officer to respond, or they don't feel it's important enough. It most often is. And in this case, this is a successful example of what can happen when you call right away."

Contact Sean Maher at 925-943-8013. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/OneSeanMaher.