NOVOKUZNETSK, December 11 (RIA Novosti) – A knife-wielding robber apologized for inconveniencing a shop assistant and begged her to spare some money after his planned holdup went awry in the Siberian city of Novokuznetsk, police said Tuesday.
“He [the robber] held the shop assistant at knifepoint and demanded that she gave him cash. The woman managed to escape, so the robber changed his tactics: he became as polite as possible, apologizing and politely asking her to give him some money because he has been unable to find a job,” the regional police department said in a statement.
The woman gave him about 3,000 rubles ($100), and the man immediately gave her back 50 rubles ($1.50) for a pack of cigarettes.
The man, dubbed “the gallant robber” by local police and media, was detained when he tried to steal a bottle of vodka from a nearby supermarket several days later.
A criminal case was opened on charges of robbery with the threat of violence. The suspect faces up to 10 years in prison.
