Smoke shop clerk pleads not guilty for allegedly shooting at robbery suspect

A man accused of reckless endangerment and unlawful use of firearms appeared filed a not guilty plea Monday.

The hearing follows a robbery at a smoke shop last month.

Ebenie Andujar, 22, had been working at Smoker's Choice as a clerk when a man attempted to leave the store with a carton of cigarettes without paying, according to charging documents.

Andujar, the documents state, told officers a man had approached the counter with the cigarettes and ran out of the store.

That's when Andujar pulled out his gun and fired a shot at the man as he opened the door, documents said.

Anchorage Police Department initially wrote there was no indication that the suspect was armed or that anyone was injured.

Documents said Andujar said he shot because he didn't want the alleged suspect to get away with the cigarettes.

While the alleged theft suspect hasn't been located, Andujar's charges, if convicted, could include jail time and thousands of dollars in fines.

For the firearms charge alone, Andujar could face up to 6 months in jail, a $2,000 fine and up to a 10-year period of probation.

If convicted, the reckless endangerment charge could carry a maximum of 30 days in jail and a $10,000 fine with up to a 3 year period of probation.