Security footage from a Tennessee gas station revealed how a group of robbers waving pythons around apparently attempted to steal cannabis oil.
Staff at the facility told cops they saw the group of men and women wielding snakes inside the Citgo truck stop on Highway 138 in Denmark, a small town about 75 miles outside of Memphis.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office provided photos of the March 4 incident, revealing the suspects were holding two pythons as WREG reported that they stole about $400 worth of CBD oil.
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In the video, the robbers placed the pythons on the counter, with one completely coiled up while the other flailing in another man’s hands.
An employee named Mayur Raval told police he and his brother were working at the store when two men and two women entered the store with the snakes.
‘They were just waving them around and putting them on the counter,’ Raval said. ‘One person brought in one snake first, and then after that, he brought in another snake. One is white, and one is brown or a mix.’
Raval added that the robbers with pythons swiped the CBD oil from the counter but believes the main reason they didn’t attempt to withdraw more is due to the great number of people around.
‘They pulled their car up to the front of the door,’ said Raval. ‘I think they planned to successfully come here and rob the store. The snake is a weapon, you know.’
Surveillance photos show the robbers with pythons in a small four-door sedan with bungee cords on the trunk.
Although snakes may not be direct deadly weapons, there is room in Tennessee law to have someone arrested for aggravated robbery if they used the animal.
Tennessee law defines aggravated robbery as a crime involving the use of a deadly weapon or any object fashioned to make the victim reasonably believe it is a deadly weapon.
In April 2024, 26-year-old Reginald Cook entered a Shell gas station in Memphis with a five-foot-long snake draped around his neck and demanded money from the register, as per WREG.
The cashier responded by pulling out a firearm, effectively stopping the incident as no one was injured and no money was taken.
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Cook was later charged with two counts of attempted aggravated robbery. On social media, many have been left baffled by how a robbery would unfold in such a manner, calling for security and safety within communities.
