Larry L. Hobock (courtesy fox13memphis.com)

“Larry L. Hobock, 29, was taken into custody early Sunday morning after he tried to rob the Millington Walmart located at 8445 Highway 51, fox13memphis.com reports. “According to police, they responded at 2:36 a.m. to an alarm at the gun case located in the sporting goods section.” OK, that’s not good . . .

A gun robbery in the middle of the night (albeit in a store open 24 hours a day). But here’s the really scary part . . .

The investigation determined, the suspect had used a tool to break into the gun case and then removed the trigger locks from two of the shotguns. The suspect was attempting to remove the third trigger guard when confronted by officers. Officers found the suspect had removed ammunition from store shelves and loaded two of the shotguns with three rounds of ammunition each.

Who steals shotguns and loads them on the spot? Someone who’s deeply stupid or deeply drugged or deeply psychotic or deeply stupid, drugged and psychotic. Not the kind of call I’d like to receive as a reserve deputy. Thankfully . . .

No shots were fired by the suspect or officers and no injuries reported by Wal Mart employees on duty on the time.

Hobock is currently in custody at the Millington Police Department and charged with Aggravated Robbery. He is being held on $250,000 bond. This case is still under investigation and other charges may be added.

Add charges! Add charges! This is not the kind of person who should be walking the streets at 2:36 am. Or any other time for that matter.

43 COMMENTS

  1. Yeah, he needs to put away, or just put down. He was obviously planning to murder a few people on his way out. And hey, What’s with the officer’s restraint? Come on now, this is the kinda guy that needs to be shot.

    • If a situation can safely end in nobody being “put down,” then it should. The outcome is evidence the officers acted properly.

      We do not live in the world of Judge Dred. Police officers are not judge, jury and executioner.

      • That is unless you are black/African American. Obviously this guy is white that’s why he is alive today. If he were black he would have been riddled with bullets, and the officer would have been touted as a hero.

        • Byron Rainer, please reinstall the White Guilt Pod© in your butt, i.e. its orifice of origin, and crawl back under your rock. If you paid any attention to facts at all, you would know that proportionally more whites are shot and killed by police than blacks. Black men are too busy shooting and killing cops and each other to be killed by cops.

      • I heard that particular Wal Mart DID have phased plasma rifles, but the suspect couldn’t get the lock off the cabinet with the 40-watt power cells.

  2. That’s a pretty fiddly burglar. He’d have to have practiced this ‘heist’ somewhat.

    Either way, water-board him until he gives you at least 7 motives (unless one of them is “I had to free and feed the bound firearms”, then, he might be ok).

  3. Truly, deeply disturbed. Glad he was too busy freeing a third when he already had two loaded shotguns on hand. He could have xaused serious mayhem.
    Could have.

  4. Was he driving a Ford Escape Ecoboost with a SIG and Groot sticker on the rear window through Austin? Is something wrong with that?

  5. The only reason one can think of to load shotguns as you steal them is to shoot the people who might show up to prevent you from stealing said shotguns. Kinda sketchy but not altogether unsurprising.

    However, it does put the lie to claims about the effectiveness of trigger guard locks…

    • Dick’s left one on a bolt action I bought there once. Took less than a minute to remove. They’re junk.

      I called afterward, and before I could offer to return the lock I was offered a key, that would be mailed to me. Top notch security right there…

    • Well, yeah, but the thing that gets me is that he got the trigger locks off, but didn’t remove the hunting plugs, which is probably why he only got three rounds into each of the guns…

  6. Thankfully, he was a stupid criminal which is why police captured him (and why police capture most criminals).

    A smart criminal would smash and grab and get out of dodge — and then remove the trigger locks somewhere else in private. And the really smart criminal would do that in the middle of a dust storm, ice storm, blizzard, or dense fog when police response time will be 40 minutes rather than 10 minutes.

    • A smart criminal would smash and grab and get out of dodge

      Well, at least of normal intelligence, but also sober and oriented to reality. A surprising number of people have trouble with the last two.

  7. Well holy crap, I’ve been to that Walmart. I used to stop there on occasion when I was a trucker driver.

    • “Well holy crap, I’ve been to that Walmart.”

      That’s what I said when that asshole shot up the one in Thornton, CO a few months back.

      It’s shit like this that reminds us not to get complacent. Unfortunately it sort of reminds us in a “There but for the Grace of God go I” sort of way, which IMO, is pretty shitty when innocent people get shot up for no fucking reason.

      • Almost every gas station / convenience store I have patronized regularly has been robbed, some several times. The exception, which is no longer in business, had no convenience store and was open only during daylight hours five and half days a week. The supermarket nearest my home has been the scene of two carjackings. The one I prefer has been robbed three times in the past year. The nearest post office also has been robbed. So far, the nearest branch of the public library has been safe.

  8. I am betting that he was zipped-up on something and what he was doing made perfect sense……to him.

    I would like to know why he needed three…..a little meth-head 3 gun i guess.

    • Probably didn’t realize about the stick in the tube and couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t get many rounds into them.

      Hard to tell though. There’s nothing logical about his caper. To rob guns from a store that’s open 24 hrs a day is pretty gutsy/stupid.

  9. I wonder if he “Borrowed” a tool from Wal-Mart’s tool aisle? If so, I bet he thought “Wow, they really do have everything I need!”.

  10. That guy looks scary, I would not like to hear my cell door open and that guy walk in. I’m starting a fund me page to bail this guy out. Save tthe prisoners from this guy

  11. Maybe he was just interested in purchasing a new Remington shotgun that didn’t jam. Obviously he had to try a few to get a good one. Smart shopper.

  12. TTAG, 2-13-18: “Add charges! Add charges! This is not the kind of person who should be walking the streets at 2:36 am. Or any other time for that matter.”

    TTAG, oh, say, about 2-13-28, after this psycho has been paroled: “Restore his gun rights! Restore his voting rights! Give him a carry license! Give him an FFL! Appoint him ATF Director! This man’s rights are being violated!
    He’s paid his debt to society!”

  13. See this is the problem. $250,000 Bond is NOT ENOUGH.
    ANY Gun related ISSUE should automatically deserve Max everything.
    No Bond. Psych Evaluation. Max Punishment for Crime if found Guilty.
    What if he was Planing something bigger? Nip-it In the Bud.
    I also think DOTS is best solution for All Shoot outs. Stop Saving their Lives.
    I would rather know the Bad Guy Died than know why he did it, & that he could get free and Try Again.

    Due process for everyone sure. But if Gun Related Max Due Process. Otherwise Gun problems will continue.
    Everyone should be able to have a Gun, but if you are going to use that Gun Illegally. That is when Punishment Might cut down on Gun Related Crimes.

  14. You can pretty much assume anyone in a Walmart at 2:30 in the morning (who isn’t working there) isn’t exactly stable.

Comments are closed.