Man Tried to Rob Hotel With Magic Wand, Worker Responds By Pulling A Gun
A man in the Minneapolis area has been arrested for a poorly attempted robbery with a poorly planned weapon of intimidation.
Police in Bloomington, Minnesota say 29-year-old was arrested and charged with fifth-degree assault and trespassing, both misdemeanors, in connection to the incident.
Bloomington police were called to the Hyatt Place hotel at around 12:12am Friday on a report of a person with a weapon.
A hotel employee told police that Thomas, who already had an active trespass notice that prohibits him from entering the hotel anyway, walked into the hotel and reached right into a bowl of used hotel room keys.
The employee asked him to leave several times until Thomas then started hurling racial slurs at the employee.
Thomas finally began to leave, and the employee followed him out of the business, which was when Thomas pulled something from his sleeve that the employee thought was a knife. It turned out to be a magic wand.
In response to what he thought to be a knife, the employee pulled his licensed concealed carry gun and pointed it at Thomas.
According to the police report, Thomas kicked over a garbage can and started to walk away before turning and pointing the wand at the employee. Eventually, Thomas ran away.
A witness confirmed the story, and investigators noted the wand was 16 inches long and had a metal point on the end that could easily be confused as a knife.
On Monday, after an arraignment, Thomas was granted a conditional release. His next hearing is May 19th.
If convicted, Thomas could face up to 180 days in jail, a fine of $2,000, or both.
Read more at KSTP