HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. – A man was arrested for threatening to shoot store employees while trying to steal Hot Pockets, according to court documents.
On Jan. 4, 2025, at around 10 a.m., Daniel Hudson went into a Dollar General in Highland Park and began stuffing Hot Pockets into his pocket.
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What employees told police
When an employee confronted him, Hudson took the Hot Pockets out of his pocket, grabbed a container of chicken wings and began yelling at employees. While doing this, he allegedly showed his gun that was in his coat pocket, threatening an employee that he would “blow his head off.”
The manager told Hudson to leave and called the police. Both employees told authorities Hudson was a regular customer at the Dollar General and knew where he worked.
Officers went to Hudson’s workplace, where they found him in the break room eating Hot Pockets. He was then taken into custody; officers found a 9mm pistol in his backpack during his arrest.
Authorities learned that although there’s no record of the gun being reported stolen, it was registered to a different person from Detroit. Police said Hudson did not have a valid CPL to carry a gun.
What Hudson told police
Authorities interviewed Hudson on Jan. 6, 2025, regarding his arrest. He said he went to the Dollar General while he was on his lunch break. He told police he didn’t intend to steal the Hot Pockets, but he didn’t see a clerk leading to him putting the Hot Pockets in his pocket.
When he was confronted by an employee, he said he put the Hot Pockets back on the counter, pulled his gun out and put it back in his coat pocket. He told police he never pointed the gun at anyone.
When Hudson left Dollar General, he said we went to a supermarket next to his workplace to get two Hot Pockets before returning to work.
When authorities asked Hudson about the statements he made towards the employees, he said he told the workers, “Maybe I should blow yo a-- [sic],” when he was told he was no longer allowed to make a purchase. When asked to clarify this statement, he said it was “basically a threat.”
Hudson explained to police the gun he had originally belonged to a woman he used to talk to, and she gave it to him in September 2024. He said he was supposed to bring it back to her but never did. He said she might tell police that he stole it from her.
He also told police he shot the firearm one time behind a liquor store near him but did not recall the date. While saying this, he reportedly mentioned he didn’t want to walk around with it knowing he’s a felon, then spoke about his 2017 conviction for carrying a concealed weapon.
Hudson also reportedly admitted he previously lied to a detective, saying the firearm he had was a BB gun.
He faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
