Knife-Wielding Robber Strikes Gas Station in Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On October 9, 2024, at around 5:35 AM, Missoula Police Department officers were dispatched to a gas station in the 600 block of S. Higgins Ave. for a reported robbery. The caller said he was robbed at knifepoint. Officers spoke with the store’s clerk and a bystander.

The clerk stated that while working behind the main counter, a male approached him with a knife in each hand demanding money. The clerk feared that he would be stabbed if he failed to comply, so he opened the register and handed over the cash within.

While the clerk was opening the register, the assailant was stabbing the register’s screen and the counter. The clerk had to move his hands away from the register at one point to avoid the erratic stabbings. The assailant shoved the money in his pockets, demanded a pack of cigarettes, and then headed northbound out of the parking lot.

Officers took a description of the assailant from both witnesses and surveillance footage. As an officer searched near the Clark Fork River, a male waived him down and stated someone matching the robber’s description had just pulled a knife on him. Officers then quickly discovered cash on the Kim Williams Trial next to a prescription pill bottle with the listed name of Francois Pepion, Jr.

Officers then located Pepion at the California Street footbridge. Pepion jumped into the river. Officers and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office deputies gathered Pepion and his belongings from the water.

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports

According to court documents, Pepion stated he got into a verbal argument with his girlfriend, began drinking Twisted Teas and Black Velvet whisky, and then “I walked to that store, and I robbed it.” Pepion went on to state that he was “just f*****g around” and planned on giving the money back.

After leaving the robbery, Pepion stated he was walking along the Kim Williams, with his headphones in, when he passed an unknown male he thought called him a “b***h.” Pepion then turned and pulled a knife on the male, stating he thought the male was about to punch him. Pepion then admitted that he was listening to music and that the male never cursed at him.

Pepion was placed under arrest and was transported to the Missoula County Detention Facility. He is currently being charged with felony robbery and felony assault with a weapon. His bond was set at $100,000.

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.