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50-Cent Hike In Burrito Prices At Taco Bell Leads To 3-Hour Standoff

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — As Americans face rising prices at the gas pump and the supermarket, one fed-up consumer took out his frustrations in a Mexican-style standoff over the cost of a burrito.

Police say a three-hour standoff involving an air gun, tear gas and even an assault rifle was peacefully resolved after a San Antonio man apparently became enraged when he found out the price of Taco Bell's Beefy Crunch Burrito had gone up from 99 cents to a whopping $1.49 each.

Brian Tillerson, a manager at the Taco Bell/KFC restaurant, told the San Antonio Express-News that the man was furious over the 50-cent inflation after ordering seven burritos from the establishment.

"They did use to be 99 cents, but that was just a promotion," Tillerson told the San Antonio Express News. "He pointed a gun at me, and he fired it. I leaned to the side and there was a pop but nothing happened."

The suspect, whose name has not been released, only had an air gun at that time but later fired an assault rifle at officers before barricading himself into a Roadway Inn hotel room, according to CBS affiliate KENS.

After a three-hour standoff, San Antonio police Sgt. Chris Benavides says officers used tear gas to force the man from the hotel room.

The man is charged with three counts of attempted capital murder.

No one was hurt during the incident.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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