Desperate dad returns cash stolen from store— after realizing it's not enough for kid's transplant

News articles about robberies and thefts contain the police's version of events as well as the victim's ordeal, but sometimes reality can be stranger than fiction. Once upon in time in Philadelphia, a man tried to rob a convenience store but backed out midway as there wasn't enough cash. While most robbers would look to grab as much cash as possible, this one stepped back after he realized that it wouldn't be enough for his daughter's kidney transplant. He returned the cash that he had already taken and even became friendly before leaving the store. 

Desperation and Crime

The robber was caught on camera in an incredible disguise, threatening a store worker at a smoke shop in Verree and Red Lion Roads with a handgun. In the surveillance video aired on CBS03, it could be seen that the robber walked in pointing a gun at the store clerk, and demanded cash from the woman behind the counter. The clerk claimed that he had at least a couple hundred dollars in his hand when he suddenly changed his mind and became “friendly”.

“That was unbelievable, what happened because he actually had the money in his hand and refused to take it, and said it wasn’t enough to pay for his daughter’s kidney transplant,” the store owner Kimo, told CBS. 

The desperate father, who took the life-threatening risk, called off the robbery as he felt that it wasn't worth it anymore. Even though the man didn't harm anyone or take anything, the Police said that he still faced charges of armed robbery. The authorities were also interested in learning more about his daughter.

 “If you are going to commit a robbery, I guess the best one to commit is one where you don’t complete it, and change your mind,” said Philadelphia Police Captain Kinebrew told CBS. 

When the store owner was asked what should be done in case the man got caught, he wasn't sure. The store owner thought that the man should be punished as he wielded a gun and was willing to use it. "At the same time, as a society, we should do something to help people like that and not push him to the edge where they have to use a gun,” Kimo said. 

At the time, the Philadelphia police were still trying to track down the suspect but they haven't provided any update on the case or the whereabouts of the suspect so far.

In an eerily similar case, another man in 2020, allegedly robbed a pharmacy in Philadelphia with a note that had an unfortunate demand. In a video released by Philadelphia police, the suspect wearing a grey hoodie and dark gloves can be seen walking to the counter with an item in a Rite Aid store.

The store clerk claimed that after he had scanned and bagged the product, the suspect handed him a note that said “Give me all the money. I’m sorry, I have a sick child. You have 15 seconds.”

The video shows that the man leaned over the counter as the clerk opened the register and put some cash into the same plastic bag. While the suspect stuffed the bag in his pockets, no gun or any other weapon was seen, as per CNN.