An Augusta man is accused of terrorizing patrons of a local Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant on New Year’s Eve while dressed as an officer and carrying a rifle.
Darnell Evans, 46, was reportedly upset that his son was not finished working at the Washington Road location by 11:25 p.m. Saturday and demanded that guests leave. When no one listened, the suspect allegedly retrieved a rifle from his truck, returned and said, “You got two minutes.”
“Evans had his hand on the trigger of the weapon as he made the statement,” a sheriff’s report says.
Several customers told deputies that they feared he would shoot them if they didn’t leave, so they left. Some said it was traumatizing.
One patron said her 5-year-old son was eating with them “and continues to cry from the incident,” a report says. The boy’s mother said “she thought she was going to be shot if she did not comply” and leave.
Customer Suzettra Walker alerted the sheriff’s office and posted images of the suspect online, asking people to help identify him. She provided photos and video to deputies.
Evans was arrested on Tuesday and charged with five counts of terroristic threats and acts, all felonies. A committal sheet lists “bail enforcement” as his occupation.
A report described his appearance as “wearing all tactical gear with a handgun on his right leg and a rifle hanging from his neck.” In the video, he can be seen arguing with someone and saying, “I was not talking to you. I was talking to the staff.”
“All victims in this case had consistent stories and felt as if they were going to be shot if they did not comply with Evans,” the report says.
Evans, of the 2900 block of Rollingwood Drive, is being held in the Richmond County Detention Center without bond. He will have to appear before a Superior Court judge to get bond.
The suspect is the same man who was arrested in May for excessive noise from an exhaust and obstruction of an officer.
