‘You got 2 minutes’: Georgia man accused of threatening restaurant patrons with rifle
AUGUSTA, Ga. – A Georgia man is accused of threatening restaurant patrons with a rifle after he allegedly became angry when he could not pick up his son, an employee who was not allowed to leave because he was still serving guests, authorities said.
Darnell R. Evans, 46, of Augusta, was arrested Tuesday and charged with five counts of felony terroristic threats and acts, according to Richmond County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.
According to the sheriff’s office, Evans entered a Longhorn Steakhouse at about 11:30 p.m. EST on Dec. 31 to pick up his son, an employee, but became angry when his son was not allowed to leave, WSB-TV reported.
According to deputies, Evans walked to his truck in the parking lot and returned with a rifle, WRDW-TV reported. Customers told police that Evans walked back into the business and allegedly told patrons, “You got two minutes,” according to the television station.
Suzettra Walker told WJBF-TV that Evans appeared to be wearing all-black tactical gear and was toting an assault rifle. She said that as her family was finishing their meal, a man, later identified as Evans, was angry because her party was eating so late at the restaurant, forcing his son to stay on the clock.
“We talked about how rude it was and that apparently upset him,” Walker told the television station.
Walker said when Evans allegedly returned with a weapon, they were frightened.
“We thought we were going to get shot. We were terrified,” Walker told WJBF. “Because we thought, at first, that he was a law enforcement officer. There were so many emotions. We had my 5-year-old nephew there. We were trying to figure out how to keep him calm, figure out how to keep it from escalating.”
Walker alerted the sheriff’s office and posted images of the suspect on Facebook, asking people to help identify him, WFXG-TV reported.
Deputies at the scene interviewed several witnesses and “they all had consistent stories,” WFXG reported.
Evans remains in jail as bail was denied, online records show.
