Photo: Getty Images
This is the classic tale of a robbery gone wrong.
One teenager is behind bars and another is at large after an attempted armed robbery of a snake, according to KPRC 2. It all went down on October 2 in a parking lot outside a Houston apartment complex on Clearwood Street.
Ariel Giron listed her ball python named Chompers for sale online for $200. She arranged a meet with a woman who was interested in buying the snake. When Giron arrived at the agreed-upon location, she was met by two children, one of whom only had a few dollars in his hand. The woman said her brother would send her the rest of the money — this was never part of their original plan. The woman then asked Giron to remove the snake from its container. "I was like, 'OK, that's weird. Maybe you want to touch him, maybe you just want to make sure he's friendly,'" Giron told the news outlet.
Two men then approached Giron from behind with a gun and demanded the snake be handed over. Giron told them no, and one of the men "was very stunned." That's when both men — caught on surveillance camera – jumped back. Chompers got in a mood.
"I'm guessing he was scared of the snake. The snake kind of went by him and he jumped back," Giron said. Both men were able to flee the scene. She thanks Chompers for maybe saving her life that day.
Sean Flythe, 17, was arrested earlier this week and was charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. The other suspect is still at large as of Friday (November 11) afternoon, according to the Houston Police Department.
Giron said as a result of this incident, Chompers has not been the same. "Now I guess he's staying with me," she said.
You can watch surveillance footage of the incident below: