A routine freight drop at a Laredo warehouse turned into a scare on Thursday afternoon when a truck driver allegedly threatened to “shoot up” the business and “all these Mexicans,” rattling workers and landing him in jail on a terroristic threat charge.
Police say the outburst started over something as mundane as a wait time. A supervisor told officers the driver lost his temper over how long it was taking to unload his freight in the city’s industrial district, and employees say his anger quickly escalated into violent, targeted threats.
Officers were called out around 12:45 p.m. on June 11 to the 1300 block of Uniroyal Drive, according to the Laredo Morning Times. The supervisor reported that the driver had grown increasingly agitated over the delay, and police took statements from several shaken workers who said they heard the threats, the outlet reported.
Responding officers identified the driver as 45-year-old Ionut Chichinete of Cleveland, Ohio, and arrested him on a terroristic threat charge, as reported by KGNS. Multiple employees told police they heard Chichinete say he was “going to shoot up the business and all these Mexicans,” the station noted. Co-workers described being rattled and afraid as officers moved in to detain him at the scene.
Charges and legal context
Chichinete was booked on a Class B misdemeanor count of terroristic threat, according to the Laredo Morning Times. Under Texas law, terroristic threat is defined in Penal Code Section 22.07, which covers threats intended to cause fear of serious violence or disrupt public places and services. The Texas Penal Code notes that the offense is commonly charged as a Class B misdemeanor, with penalties that can ramp up depending on who is targeted and the circumstances.
Local impact
Laredo is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with about 95% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts. That demographic reality is one reason workers and community members say the driver’s alleged anti-Mexican remark felt especially hostile and out of place in a city where Spanish and English are part of the everyday soundtrack.
Employees who spoke with officers and provided statements said they were frightened by the threat and its explicitly racial language, early reports indicate. The incident remains under investigation, and initial coverage did not list any upcoming court dates.
