CCTV footage released of

CCTV footage released of

www.bbc.co.uk

A so called 'polite robber', has been filmed on CCTV holding up a petrol station in Seattle.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Is this the state of things these days?

Although he is robbing the petrol station, he genuinely seems to be a good guy. I sincerely get the impression that he really did not want to carry out this crime but was forced out of total desperation.

Has the world descended to such a level that people like this have to resort to such desperate measures?

I hope to God that I never have to be in his shoes, I really do.

www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

That this today is possible is our collective fault. We keep this system in place by choice.
Good men turn criminal, that is what is happening.

The video is a metaphor of what is wrong with the world. All I got to say is: Walk like an Egyptian.

reply to post by TheLoneArcher


It is a shame. I have seen things like this on the news all the time. One guy started crying and the store owner gave him a loaf of bread and $50 and he left.

Meanwhile the most interesting thing about your post is that you are from Toulouse France.

That is pretty cool.

reply to post by TheLoneArcher


It is a shame. I have seen things like this on the news all the time. One guy started crying and the store owner gave him a loaf of bread and $50 and he left.

Meanwhile the most interesting thing about your post is that you are from Toulouse France.

That is pretty cool.

I do commend him for his manners. Although, I honestly don't think that will help much in the court of law. If he would of accepted the $40, would the old man have not called the cops? It's hard to say, but that was a nice gesture from the old man as far as I'm concerned. Unless this guy is already in Canada, I doubt that he will get away with this. Doing it for his family means that he will most likely not be in hiding or on the run.

The video is a metaphor of what is wrong with the world.

I agree with that statement. It sucks.

reply to post by TheLoneArcher


I feel so sorry for the guy! I mean he doesnt seem to have an Ounce of malice in him, he didnt even want to scare the shop owner, The shop owner noticed as well, You can see he understand

The world really has gone to hell, when clearly good people cant survive by conforming to the system thats been put in place for them.

I mean he even says hell probably come pay him back

I know that if I was desperate to feed my children I would rob to do so. Is it wrong, yes. Is it really a solution, no. Is it less of a crime than the way wealth has been distributed, probably.

reply to post by TedHodgson


I agree with you 100%. It breaks my heart to see things like this. But what grips me is, all these fat cats sitting on their billions whilst good folk like this go down the tubes.

reply to post by rusethorcain


Thank you. I love it here. I moved from the UK 10 years ago and have never looked back. Weather, food and the whole standard of living down here is fantastic. I also met the love of my life here.
Getting back on track, in his situation, if I reached rock bottom, I would do anything to protect my wife, and I do mean anything.

This just makes me realise how f*****g lucky I really am.

reply to post by iforget


'Nessecity knows no bounds'. Can't help but feel for this guy, I too would do whatever it takes to keep food in my childrens mouths...God hope that time never comes.

reply to post by Mythkiller


Amen my friend, Amen.

All valid comments so far but it appears its not a case of hitting rock bottom and doing it the once out of desperation as he has a history of criminality.

The King County Sheriff’s office has since confirmed that Hess has a history of criminal activity, having been convicted of armed robbery and forgery in the past.

just to balance things out.

reply to post by jack burton


Ouch!!!

reply to post by jack burton


Right. And to give some perspective, he may have been taking food out of someone else's mouth. I once had a convenient store that I ran on a shoestring budget and credit when I was only 19. It was doing well for about 6 months, and then it got robbed on a Sunday night when all the cash from the weekend was there. My insurance did not cover cash, and I could not pay my consignment bills the following week, and I had to close the store. It almost bankrupted me, and due to the large amount of credit I had out, I did file bankruptcy about 18 months later.

So, robbing someone to feed your family, might just put another family in a similar dire situation. It is never acceptable.

Would I steal to feed my kids? Probably. But, it isn't a victimless crime. Someone always gets hurt.

Many people would say it is ok to rob from a big corporation, or that insurance would cover the cost. Those two ideas are wrong as well. Insurance doesn't always cover the cost, and those corporations have people at the bottom that might lose their jobs over something like this. If the profit and loss statements are unacceptable, or if the security advisor didn't take the right precautions, someone could get fired and their family could be in the poorhouse next.

reply to post by getreadyalready


I dont disagree with you I was thinking if it was really food you need then dumpster dive. We probably throw away enough food here in the US to feed all the hungry.

That was almost heart-breaking.

You can tell the robber didn't want to be in that position... He was so polite too.

He even admitted he was just doing it to feed his kids.

Wow... surreal.

I can almost see this guy getting sympathy from the judge, if he can keep his politeness.

But if I was the judge, and he came before me, I would throw the book at him.

Obviously there's always a lot going on in a person's life when they get to this level, but whether they think the whole thing through, or not, they've crossed a line that makes them dangerous to everyone.

How about the ethics of risking your life, and or freedom, when you have those mouths to feed? What would be going through his mind if he got shot, and lay bleeding on the floor? "Oh my, now I've really done it."

If I was the clerk getting robbed, he would not have walked out the door. Not that I care about the money, but in my book, if you pull a gun on me, you just forfeited your life. The minute he pulled that gun out, he no longer had any right to live, and it would then be my responsibility to make sure he never did it again to anyone else, to the extent that I was able to make that happen, given the circumstances. That's a very bad place for a desperate person to put themselves in, but it's worse that the victim is put in such a terrible position as well.

And I'm sure I'm not alone in my thinking, the guy was lucky that he picked on such a mild-mannered fellow. But no doubt he targeted him partially for that reason.

What would the world be like if every clerk in that situation, felt that at that moment they were given the solemn responsibility of terminating such madness, to the extent that they were able? Or if every home invasion met the same determined "moral" indignation, and the perps seldom walked away?

My guess is that guys like Mr. Politeness would have to either figure it out, or they would just self-terminate, doing everyone the favor.

JR

I'm not surprised if we start hearing more stories like this developing all across the nations. We have hundreds of people lining up to apply to a single entry level job, food stamps soaring and students graduating every year with no hopes of a jobs.

The next couple of years is going to be a big snowball effect of bad news. All I can say is prepare.