Police: Man points gun at Pocatello store clerk
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POCATELLO — A local man was arrested Thursday after police say he pointed a gun at a convenience store clerk.
Police said Joseph Lopez, 21, of Chubbuck, and a 20-year-old woman were at the Pit Stop on Arthur Avenue in Pocatello around 7 a.m. Thursday.
The clerk noticed the couple was in the bathroom for about an hour and suspected they were trying to do drugs. The clerk called the Pocatello Police Department to get the pair to leave the store.
Soon after they exited the bathroom and started for their car. The clerk tried to detain the couple at the store and followed them to their car to notify them they were banned from the store.
That’s when Lopez allegedly reached into his car for a gun.
“The suspect allegedly pulled a handgun out and pointed it at the clerk,” police spokesperson Dianne Brush said.
After the encounter with the clerk, Lopez and the woman left the gas station.
Pocatello police arrived after the incident and were given the description of Lopez’s vehicle and plate number.
He was later arrested by Chubbuck police around 7 p.m. Thursday night. Officers found him at the Tastee Treat on Yellowstone Avenue.
He was arrested for felony aggravated assault and booked into the Bannock County Jail.