NOVOKUZNETSK — 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.
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 Tuesday 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.
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