Police: Regretful Thief Returns Money To Gas Station Hours After Robbing It, Apologizes

(Bill Binns)

Not the suspect. (Bill Binns)

There’s regretting past misdeeds, and then there’s feeling immediately so sorry for doing someone wrong that you return to the scene of the crime to set things aright. The latter was the case for a 23-year-old in California who police said robbed a gas station convenience store and then came back to apologize with the cash later.

Police in Eureka, CA say that the suspect robbed the gas station, demanding cash, at gunpoint, reports the Associated Press.

After a clerk handed him some money, the suspect allegedly took two bottles of beer and hit the road. But cut to three hours later and the would-be robber returned to the scene of his alleged past misdeeds and handed over most of the cash he’s suspected of stealing earlier in the day.

He told the clerk that the weapon he’d had on him earlier was just a BB gun, which police had yet to recover. He also said he was sorry, that he’d taken the cash to get a fresh start and leave town, but he’d realized he’d done wrong.

He was booked into jail on $50,000 bail.

Police: Regretful California robber returns cash [Associated Press]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.