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Thief steals PS3 to save family

August 15, 2008 in News comments 20

A man walks into an EB Games store and pulls out a gun on the clerk. He then tells her he needs a PS3, saying his family was being held hostage, and the only way to save them was with a PS3. The thief stole the console and got away with the crime. Now if this was a true hostage situation, or a just a clever story, we don't know. But what ever it was, someone now has a free PS3.

There are stories about stolen PS3s ... and then there's this story. A man who stole a PS3 system from a St. Louis EB Games store at gunpoint told the clerk that he needed the system to "save his family." According to KSDK, the theif told the clerk that "his family was being held hostage" and only the PS3 would save them.

The police arrived shortly after the incident, but the thief had already vanished. Was he a real victim of a hostage situation -- or was he a thief that just wanted to tell an interesting story? Until the police find him, we'll never really know.
Sayyed via ps3fanboy.com »
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Most recently commented on by on Aug 18, 2008

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  • 1
    Storm* Aug 15, 08
    Was the thief masked or something? You can usually tell if someone is lying by their eyes. If we knew his emotional status, perhaps he was telling the truth. But that's...unlikely. Out of all things, the kidnappers held the family hostage for a PS3? Why not something else like a big screen TV, car, or a large amount of money?
  • 0
    kik36 Aug 15, 08
    You would think that Sony would be able to identify this PS3 when it goes online and let the cops know.
  • 0
    phowell23 Aug 15, 08
    im guessin this took place at an actual store and not inside a mall, maybe eb should get sum cameras outside so they coulda got his licence plate.(if he took off by foot and the police got there shortly after, those gotta be sum lazy ass cops they got down there in St Louis not 2 catch him)
  • 0
    chautemoc Aug 15, 08
    This robber is a tease; now I really want to know the whole story.
    I'm guessing if he was telling the truth someone took his family hostage so he could get a PS3 or something, which..would be one of the most hilarious game stories ever. I mean, assuming noone was hurt and stuff.
  • 1
    Slumpy monkey Aug 15, 08
    I doubt it, as the police would be able to confirm it.

    You don't just get your family jacked, Give them what they want and they go on living like nothing happened.

    The first thing your gunna do is call the cops.
  • 1
    Koloth Aug 15, 08
    What is more interesting is his need to justify the crime. Why even bother to mention your family is held hostage? Because it is justification. "I'm not doing this for petty personal reasons I need to save someone with a PS3."

    It does maqke you wonder what the real story is though. I mean that's kind of like going to the toy store and feeling the need to tell the clerk that the toys you're clearly buying for yourself are not for you. What is the psycology of needing to justify your actions?
  • 0
    Deathsythe Aug 15, 08

    I'm not sure if I 100% buy his story about his family.

    It is said that all you need to rob a bank is a cellphone.

    Walk in, hand the teller the cell phone, have someone on the other end say that you will kill this man's family if the teller does not fill a bag with unmarked bills and not make a scene, and the man walks out with a sack of money.

    • 0
      Sayyed Aug 15, 08
      Oh wow, thats a good idea
      • 0
        Slumpy monkey Aug 15, 08
        Except your forgetting the CCTV that is monitored, Other people seeing the cashier giving money, The cashier would not accept the phone in the first place, They have silent alarms, A man walking out with a sack of money would look very weird, he obviously cant walk in covering his face or he would draw to much attention therefore the camera would catch everything.
  • 0
    huntyr Aug 15, 08
    Thats probably true about banks, employees are trained to not make a scene, and just had over the cash. Insurance/police will deal with it. I dont believe the hostage story tho, chances are the guy was lying
  • 0
    kik36 Aug 15, 08
    In all honesty why would you have to justify shit when you're pointing a gun at someone?! It's not like the clerk said "why do you need to rob me at gunpoint for this PS3?" You put a gun to my head and you can have my damn PS3, no questions asked.
  • 0
    reaver11 Aug 16, 08
    ......?

    Some people...
  • 0
    Bale Fire* Aug 16, 08
    Not true. Nothing would have been stopping him from calling the Police or getting help. Besides was he too cheap to just buy a PS3?
  • 0
    Bandito Aug 16, 08
    im sure a neighbor would hasve reported gunshots, of if he had a knife, police will search the missing ppl and come to there house, and check for any traces. if there is no news about it in 2 and a ½ weeks.
  • 2
    Play ISDF Aug 16, 08
    Game stores better watch their GTA 4 copies, I have a feeling this guy might steal a copy because if he doesn't then his grandmother will be taken off life support!

    Yeah, I kinda doubt this story a whole lot if it isn't obvious.
  • 0
    RabidChinaGirl Aug 16, 08
    I'm sure someone must have already mentioned this, but I'm thinking his lie must be a sign of guilt. I'm also guessing the console is for himself, but he felt bad enough about stealing it to make up some lie that paints himself as an altruistic person.

    Not going to argue that this is extremely ridiculous.
  • 1
    Revenger of Wastelan Aug 16, 08
    I doubt someone would take a whole family hostage for a PS3, but you never know with today's generation.
  • 0
    Final Blade Aug 17, 08
    Hmm interesting, how would this save the family? I mean unless the family was help up by a group of people asking this kid to get a system to save the family, but then they could do it themselves...unless they didn't want to get caught.

    But still makes little to no sense at the end.
    • 0
      Deathsythe Aug 17, 08
      Yeah, lets see...

      Armed Robbery - ~15 years
      Kidnapping (and God knows what else) - probably 25-life


      Why wouldn't they have just done it themselves?

      • 0
        Final Blade Aug 18, 08
        Yes I'm aware however it seems kidnapping is alot worse then stealing a PS3 themselves right?

        However my questions was more of a rhetorical question cause of how idiotic the logic of the kid stealing the PS3, and his story was.

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