Customer arrested in Stillwater after threatening to kill worker over alleged botched repair job
Stillwater police said the suspect also charged responding officers.
Stillwater police said the suspect also charged responding officers.
Stillwater police said the suspect also charged responding officers.
Outrage at an auto parts store landed a customer behind bars for threatening to kill a worker after an alleged botched repair job.
Stillwater police said the suspect also charged responding officers.
"Jeffrey Hernandez made a threat to an employee that he would slit his throat with a knife," said Lt. TJ Low with Stillwater Police Department.
Stillwater police said Hernandez, 41, threatened to kill an O’Reilly Auto Parts staff member with a knife after he claimed the store damaged his car battery. When officers arrived on the scene, things escalated.
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"That’s when his behavior changed. He swung at one of the officers prior to running to the back of the business," Low said.
On May 15, court documents said Hernandez refused to comply with the officer’s demands and began acting erratically.
After officers were unable to restrain him, Hernandez ran back to the store’s warehouse and "threw a cart full of items" at the officer. When he realized there was nowhere to run, police said Hernandez charged at them.
"The officers were able to take him to the ground and with the use of a Taser, got the suspect to comply and place him under arrest. They were able to remove a pocketknife and a backpack before the suspect fled to the back of the business," Low said.
Inside the backpack was a loaded semi-automatic handgun and a spare magazine with 12 rounds. Police said staff members made the right call that day.
"We like to be there before it escalates because the suspect had every intention of harming somebody. We’d much rather someone call us before it escalated to that where we can possibly intervene to de-escalate the situation," Low said.
Hernandez now faces two felonies: assault and battery on a police officer and assault with a dangerous weapon. The judge set his bond at $20,000 and his next court appearance will be June 20.
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