COFFEE COUNTY, Ga. — A southeast Georgia man was charged after deputies said he threatened to shoot store employees over the price of cigarettes.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Coffee County deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery at a convenience store on Highway 32.
When deputies arrived, witnesses said a man, later identified as Michael Lee Ansel, 39, of Coffee County, walked inside the store and began arguing with employees about the price of cigarettes.
According to witnesses, Ansel left the store twice before returning a third time with a weapon. When he came in the last time, Ansel threatened the employees, stating, “I’m gonna shoot both of y’all,” deputies said.
Deputies looked at surveillance video and searched for Ansel around 9:30 p.m. Coffee County officials said Ansel is a known resident with a criminal history.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Georgia officials say more than 15,000 families applied for Georgia Promise vouchers
- Delta pilot arrested in cockpit after landing in San Francisco
- ‘The only place I’ve ever called home’: Walton County family sues after home sold using forged deed
Around midnight, Ansel was located. The 39-year-old admitted to deputies that he walked into the store making threats to “send them back in a box,” citing that he was frustrated over the cigarette pricing advertised at $6 but sold for $12 as his motivation for the outburst, officials said.
When deputies told Ansel he was being arrested and charged with terroristic threats, he didn’t comply and jumped into a nearby pond.
Ansel was pulled out of the water, and then he began having a seizure, deputies said.
Deputies immediately rendered aid. Once he was medically cleared, he was booked into the Coffee County Jail.
Authorities later learned Ansel was wielding a hatchet when he entered the store, according to Coffee County officials.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]