Closed-circuit television from a gas station in Oldenburg, Germany, captured an astonishing scene recently when a worker confronted a masked assailant.
The video (seen above) takes a surprising turn when the would-be robber appears to break down in tears.
According to German-language newspaper Bild, the robber entered the store, produced a knife and demanded money from the gas station attendant. In an act of self-defense, the employee, identified only as 20-year-old Robert B., remotely locked all exits and signaled the alarm. He then grabbed a baseball bat from another room and used it to fend off the intruder.
As the two are seen scuffling in the video, the robber appears to slump into Robert's arms and begins to cry.
"Let me go. I have a wife and kids," the would-be thief said, according to a Huffington Post translation of the Bild report. In an act of compassion, the attendant seems to console the man who had attacked him mere moments before and even offers him a tissue.
When the police arrive, the crying criminal is taken into custody. The Bild reports that police later confirmed that he was seeking money for drugs. He could face jail time for the crime.
Interestingly, this is not the first time in recent weeks that a thief has started crying during an attempted robbery.
On Jan. 21, a Montana man who entered a Papa John's restaurant and demanded money reportedly burst into tears and told the clerk he wanted to provide for his family. Rather than hand over money from the register, a quick-thinking clerk offered the man a pizza, chicken wings and some soda. The man took the clerk's food offer and left shortly after.
(hat tip, Live Leak)