Is it technically considered an armed robbery even though a snake has no arms or legs?
A Memphis man was arrested yesterday after getting creative with his weapon of choice while trying to rob a gas station.
According to WKRN, 26-year old Reginald Cook walked into a Shell gas station to make a purchase before coming back 30 minutes later and demanding money from the cash register.
The cashier reportedly thought Cook had a weapon because he kept reaching for something in his clothes, but refused to open the register or hand over any cash, and Cook eventually left the store once again.
But he wasn’t done just yet. The man then came back a third time, this time with some reinforcements: A 5-foot long live snake wrapped around his neck.
Cook was also carrying a backpack and reaching into his bag while again demanding that the cashier give him money. But the cashier wasn’t intimidated because he was also armed (not with a snake, but with…you know, an actual weapon).
Well the cashier pulled out his gun and called 911, and when police eventually arrested Cook they found a railroad spike and some rocks in his backpack. Oh, and they also confiscated his snake.
Cook was charged with two counts of Attempted Aggravated Robbery, and is being held in jail on a $4,000 bond.
There’s no word on what kind of snake it was, though I assume if it were a venomous one he would have been charged with Assault With a Deadly Weapon…
