There are grave injustices in this world, some of which may require an immediate response from emergency personnel. But claiming you were overcharged by a penny for a beer is not one of those injustices. Heck, it’s not even a minor transgression. And yet police say a man called 9-1-1 three times to complain about his ordeal.

The Smoking Gun says the man called the cops when he bought a 16-ounce can of Heineken at a market in Memphis. When officers asked what the problem was, he said “the store clerk over charged him and owed him 1 cent in change,” according to a criminal complaint.

Cops informed the man that he really should not be calling 9-1-1 as it was a civil matter, and definitely shouldn’t call in “non life threatening situations.”

The man apparently walked away from the store, still mad about this slight, and called again. Cops once more said hey, this still isn’t an issue we need to deal with.

But he explained that he’d called 9-1-1 because he felt the police weren’t helping him get his penny back. And he was right, because again, it’s not a police matter.

By the time he called the non-emergency number and asked for help again, the cops who were already nearby thanks to his previous calls arrested him for misuse of the 9-1-1 system.

If at first you don’t succeed, sure, try, try again. That doesn’t mean the cops will appreciate it.

Man Called 911 Over One Cent Beer Overcharge [The Smoking Gun]

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