Several minors broke into a kiosk at night to steal as many bottles of alcohol as possible. The police managed to detain one of the offenders, while the others remain at large. The incident makes locals ponder what could have driven the teenagers to such a desperate act, which will likely result in serious punishment, reports the show Degpunktā (TV3).
The thirst for alcohol on a Friday night drove the teenagers to rob a local kiosk. One by one, they made their way inside through broken security shutters and glass doors, emerging with bottles in hand. Residents called both the police and the kiosk owner Alexander, who arrived at the scene immediately.
"They grabbed and ran away. The police caught one of them — we think they will catch them all. We saw their faces, everything was open. They didn’t even run — they stole calmly," said kiosk owner Alexander.
After the theft, the kiosk did not cease operations. Kiosk employee Marina noted that some of the teenagers might be hiding nearby: "I know they are searching for them with dogs. The police were here — they found one, but two are hiding in the bushes. Still at large."
The group of thieves managed to take about 30 bottles of strong alcohol — most of which, after being confiscated by the police, have already been returned to the shelves of the kiosk and put back on sale. It turned out that these guys were well known — mainly as regular customers, not as criminals.
"They came here all the time. They came to hang out here every day. Only one of them is local," said Marina.
In her opinion, the teenagers may have decided to rob the kiosk due to new restrictions on alcohol sales. They might have wanted to enhance an existing intoxication or mix it with drugs already in their blood: "I think they were 'under something' because their actions were corresponding."
Local residents believe that the guilty teenagers are a product of their environment and upbringing: "Well, what can be done if the local government provides apartments to asocial individuals. Generations change — what can be expected."
"Well, it’s stupid. We haven’t had anything like this in the last 20 years — and that’s good," said resident Viya.
While these two women are not particularly surprised by the robbery, local resident Haralds views the incident with a touch of humor and self-reflection: "It’s all clear. I also hung out with such people in my youth, but not to that extent. Robbing a store is already too much."
Haralds’ opinion is echoed by kiosk owner Alexander — according to him, the guys "are not right in the head": "It’s stupid, because for such a crime, punishment starts at 8 years in prison. They are fools."
The State Police have initiated a criminal case and continue to search for the other members of the group.
