A Laurens man was arrested by Storm Lake authorities after reportedly aiming a handgun at people at the Walmart store following a verbal altercation. The police department was notified of the incident at approximately 1:36 a.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival at the Storm Lake chain store, they learned from the reporting parties that 21-year-old Christian Eberle had pointed a handgun with a green laser at two individuals as they were coming out of the store. He then fled in a white sedan with two other people. An alert was broadcast and the vehicle was spotted by a deputy with the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office shortly after, at about 2 a.m., in Albert City. The three occupants were detained and questioned and the car was impounded. A search warrant was requested and executed later that morning, at which time a custom-built 9mm semi-automatic handgun with an attached green laser sight and two high-capacity magazines containing about 80 rounds of ammunition were seized. Eberle has been charged with four counts of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon and one count of carrying weapons, all aggravated misdemeanors. He was booked into the jail on a $10,000 bond. The other two were released. Authorities allege the argument that initiated the altercation was connected to illegal drug activity.
