Man threatens to kill food truck workers holding knife with ‘infidel’ written on it, records show

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A man remains in jail Friday evening accused of threatening to kill the workers of a taco truck with a knife that had the word “infidel” written on it.

Taz Michael Smith, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon from the incident that happened in the 6600 block of S. Gessner Road on Thursday.

Diana Diaz-Torrez runs the taco truck with her cousin. She said they had never had a problem in the four years they’ve been at the location until Smith aggressively approached them with a knife and threatened to rob and kill them.

Diaz-Torrez said Smith only backed off because her cousin had a gun. He then banged on their truck to keep them from calling the police.

According to Houston police, Smith was arrested after a struggle.

Court records state that he told officers, “If you are looking for my knife, it is in my bag. It has the word ‘infidel’ on it.”

According to Merriam-Webster, “infidel” means someone who does not believe in orthodox religion. It is considered an offensive term.

Smith was given a $40,000 bond. He does not have any prior charges in Texas, online records show.

Diaz-Torres said she was scared and that it was terrible they had to worry about such a threat when all they want to do is run the small business.