A Houston man faces two felony charges after allegedly stealing a vehicle that had a gun in it from a gas station in Houston on Oct. 23.
Raffe Mirzakhanyan, 30, of Houston, is charged with stealing a motor vehicle and a firearm (both class D felonies).
A Houston Police Department officer was dispatched to the Murphy USA gas station on U.S. 63 regarding a report of a stolen vehicle.
The officer made contact with a woman there who said her red 1996 GMC Jimmy had been stolen in front of the business. The officer viewed surveillance video that showed a man later identified as Mirzakhanyan get in on the driver’s side and drive away.
The woman told the officer she had a .380 caliber pistol in the vehicle and observed it going northbound on the highway.
Texas County 911 advised other area agencies and the vehicle was located in Wright County by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.
When the officer tried to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle failed to yield until it crashed in a field.
Mirzakhanyan was taken to the Texas County Jail and has a bond set at $200,000.