AUSTIN, Texas - A 26-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened to shoot everyone in a South Austin gas station after a clerk refused to give him free gas.
Emilio Serrano is charged with first-degree felony aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon for the June 20 incident.
According to an arrest affidavit, APD responded to a gunshot call at a 7-11 in the 500 block of W. Ben White Blvd where a man reportedly had been requesting free gas then pulled out an AR-15 when he was told he would have to pay. The caller told police that the man fled east in a gold Impala.
The clerk, who was "visibly shaking and crying," told police that the man had entered the store, walked to the counter and requested $20 worth of gas, says the affidavit. When the clerk asked if he would like to pay with cash or card, the man replied "no, for free."
The clerk told him they don't give out free gas and the man let out an expletive and left the store. The clerk then saw the man walk to a gold Impala and begin to rummage in the trunk, then pull out an AR-15 from the driver's side seat, according to the affidavit.
The clerk then locked the doors and the man approached the store with the AR-15, but was unable to get inside, even after kicking the door, says the affidavit. The clerk and patrons inside the store hid in the office and freezer.
A witness told police the man yelled outside the store "I'm going to shoot everyone in there!" while approaching the store with the AR-15, says the affidavit. The man left the scene in the Impala after realizing he could not get in.
Officers later found the Impala and a man in the driver's seat matching the description the clerk provided at a nearby gas station and conducted a felony car stop, according to the affidavit. The man, later identified as Serrano, was detained and told officers "I didn't do s--t, I was just trying to get some gas."
Officers found a black AR-15 in the back seat of the vehicle, matching the description given by the clerk, says the affidavit. Serrano was then placed under arrest for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.