A trucker used his shower bag to fend off an attempted robbery by a man with a toy gun at a gas station on Sunday.
The incident occurred on July 15th in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, but charges were not filed against the man until Tuesday, July 17th.
According to WQOW News, an unidentified truck driver was walking from his truck to the showers at the Mega Holiday gas station when he was approached by 22-year-old Shane Pagel wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a black plastic mask. Pagel then pulled out a toy gun and attempted to rob the trucker but before he could make any demands, the driver quickly struck Pagel with his shower bag and the attempted robber fled.
An employee at the gas station saw what happened and chased Pagel down the street. During the pursuit, Pagel dropped his cell phone and kept yelling at the employee, saying things such as “sorry” and “let it be” before jumping into the passenger side of a car and speeding away.
The employee was able to record the license plate number, and officials used that information to track the car back to Pagel’s dad and, using the cell phone he dropped, they were soon able to track Pagel down.
Once in custody, Pagel told police that he had thrown the gun and the clothing he had been wearing down the garbage disposal following the crime.
A $5,000 cash bond was set for Pagel on Tuesday. He is scheduled to return to court in a week and is facing charges of armed robbery.
