26-year-old Memphis man Reginald Cook has been arrested after he attempted to rob a Shell gas station using a live 5-foot-long snake.
At approximately 2 a.m. local time on Monday, April 15, Cook walked into the convenience store at a Shell gas station and made a regular transaction, WREG reports. Roughly half an hour later, he showed up again and demanded the cashier hand over some money from the register. The cashier said they believed he had a weapon because he kept putting his hands in his clothing, but they still refused to open the register. When Cook returned after that, 35 minutes later, he was joined by a 5-foot-long live snake.
According to the Memphis Police Department, the 5-foot snake was wrapped around his neck. This time, Cook was far more aggressive with his demands. "Give me the fucking money," he shouted as he allegedly searched around in a green backpack he was wearing. The cashier pulled out their own firearm in response to the situation and called 911.
Police arrived at the scene shortly after and took Cook into custody. Following a search of his belongings, authorities discovered he had a large rock and a railroad spike inside of his backpack. Cook has been charged with two counts of attempted aggravated robbery and his bond is set at $4,000. The snake was also taken into police custody.
Following the arrest, Cook's family went to the gas station to apologize for the incident and offered to cover the cost of any damages to the store.
