GARDEN CITY, N.Y. A Long Island convenience store owner confronted by a bat-wielding would-be robber says he decided to show mercy on the man after he collapsed in tears claiming he was only committing the crime to support his starving family.
Instead of getting loot from a stickup, the store owner says he provided the man with $40 and a loaf of bread, but only if he promised never to rob again.
Mohammad Sohail, owner of the store in Shirley, about 65 miles east of New York City, says the man was "crying like a baby."
Suffolk County Police Sgt. John Best says the man dropped the bread, picked up the bat and tucked the $40 into his waistband before fleeing.
Best says detectives reviewed a surveillance video of the May 21 incident, but it will be difficult to identify the suspect because he wore a mask.