Caught on Camera: Snake-Wielding Crew Hits Tennessee Gas Station

Talk about a hiss-terical robbery. Tennessee police are on the hunt for four suspects accused of slithering into a convenience store, waving around two live pythons, and making off with hundreds of dollars' worth of CBD oil.

Snakes on a Convenience Store Counter

The cold-blooded crime happened on March 4, when two men and two women entered a Citgo gas station in Denmark, Tennessee, wielding two very much alive pythons. Security footage shared by the Madison County Sheriff's Office shows one of the men handling the snakes and placing them on the store counter like they were part of a sale — not a stick-up.

"They were just waving them around and putting them on the counter," store employee Mayur Raval told WREG-TV. "One person brought in one snake first, and then after that, he brought in another snake."

The group reportedly made off with $400 worth of CBD oil. Raval, who was working alongside his brother that day, said the scene was no joke stating, "They pulled their car up to the front of the door. I think they planned to successfully come here and rob the store. The snake is a weapon, you know."

A Reptilian Getaway

After grabbing their loot, the fearsome foursome slinked away in a small four-door sedan with a drive-out tag and a trunk secured by bungee cords. Police say the car was last seen fleeing the scene.

Though pythons are non-venomous, their intimidating size and reputation made them effective tools of terror. According to the San Diego Zoo, pythons can range from under 2 feet to over 30 feet in length and kill prey by suffocation, wrapping around their target and squeezing tight. It's not exactly your average stick-up weapon — but it definitely gets a reaction.

Snake Tactics Not New in Tennessee

This isn't the first time someone's tried to use serpents as sidekicks in a crime. Just last year, a Memphis man was arrested after allegedly attempting to rob a gas station while wearing a 5-foot snake around his neck. He was charged with two counts of attempted aggravated robbery.

In this case, police believe the snake-wielding group may have planned a larger haul but were spooked by the number of customers in the store. Still, authorities aren't letting the trail go cold-blooded. The Madison County Sheriff's Office is urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 731-424-8477.

Sssuspects Still at Large

No arrests have been made, and the mystery remains. Looks like these slippery suspects slithered away — for now. But with surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts, and a trail of cold-blooded chaos, authorities are tightening the squeeze.

One thing's for sure: in Tennessee, even convenience store crimes can get a little ... constricting.

References: Thieves Allegedly Robbed a Tennessee Convenience Store Using Pythons: 'They Were Just Waving Them Around' | Men with pythons wanted for gas station theft | Python Big muscles, but no venom | Man tried to rob store with 5-foot snake