Sioux Falls Pawnshop Worker Threatened with Gun

So is it an armed robbery if the suspect claims he was just joking around?

In the eyes of the Sioux Falls police, the answer would be yes.

An Iowa man is facing a robbery charge right now after he pulled a gun on an employee at a Sioux Falls pawnshop and demanded cash on Monday (January 3).

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Dakota News Now is reporting the incident took place on Monday afternoon when thirty-one-year-old Wesley Gerald Hanson of Ocheydan, Iowa was with a friend at a Southwest Sioux Falls pawn shop on West 41st Street.

The police report states, Hanson's friend was selling items to the pawnshop. Once the transaction was complete, Hanson produced a gun and pointed it at an employee on duty. He then demanded money.

According to Dakota News Now, the clerk on duty asked Hanson if the robbery was legitimate. Hanson said no, and that he was only joking around. He then told the pawnshop employee that he was interested in selling the gun used in the incident.

Police told Dakota News Now,  Hanson was unable to strike a deal with the employee over the firearm and ended up leaving the pawnshop with his friend.

The clerk mentioned the situation to another pawnshop employee, and they elected to notify the police. While police officers were at the pawnshop investigating the report, Hanson returned. Police ended up taking him into custody and charging him with one count of robbery.

Officer Sam Clemons with the Sioux Falls Police Department told Dakota News Now the gun used in the incident was real, but it was not loaded at the time the incident occurred.

The friend who Hanson was with at the time of the incident is not being charged with a crime.

Source: Dakota News Now

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