Security footage circulated on social media showed people waving pythons around in a Tennessee gas station in an apparent attempt to steal cannabis oil.
Employees reported seeing the group of snake-wielding men and women inside the Citgo truck stop on Highway 138 in Denmark, a small town roughly 75 miles outside of Memphis.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office, which provided photos of the March 4 incident, said the suspects were holding two pythons and stole about $400 worth of CBD oil, WREG reported.
The video showed the men placing the snakes on the counter. One was completely coiled up, while the other was seen flailing in one of the men’s hands.
Mayur Raval said he and his brother were working at the store at the time and said two men and two women walked into 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 said the men swiped the CBD oil from the counter but thinks the only reason they didn’t steal more is because there were too many other customers 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.’
Pictured: A man and a woman are seen on a security camera holding snakes in front of the cash register at the Citgo truck stop in Tennessee
Mayur Raval (pictured behind the counter) is seen dealing with the group of four, who police say stole $400 worth of CBD oil
The alleged robbers were seen in a small four-door sedan with bungee cords on the trunk
The alleged robbers were seen in a small four-door sedan with bungee cords on the trunk, according to surveillance photos.
While snakes are not inherently deadly weapons, there is plenty of room within Tennessee law to charge someone for aggravated robbery if they used one as a weapon.
Tennessee defines aggravated robbery as a crime ‘accomplished with a deadly weapon or by display of any article used or fashioned to lead the victim to reasonably believe it to be a deadly weapon.’
In April 2024, then-26-year-old Reginald Cook walked into a Shell gas station in Memphis with a five-foot-long snake around his neck demanding money from the cash register, WREG previously reported.
The cashier pulled out his own firearm, which essentially ended the incident entirely. No one was injured and no money was stolen.
Cook was later charged with two counts of attempted aggravated robbery.
