Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
A 60-year-old man from Ota City in Gunma Prefecture has been arrested by police for trying to kill a convenience store owner.
According to the police report, on Tuesday morning, the man paid for a black coffee at the store, but when he went over to the coffee machine to pour the coffee for himself, as is the way when making this type of purchase at a convenience store, the owner found that the customer had pushed the “latte” button instead of the “black coffee” button, effectively pouring himself a more expensive cup of coffee than what he’d paid for.
When confronted by the owner, the customer said he needed to use the restroom, but instead tried to escape in his car, which was parked in the parking lot outside the store. The owner followed the man into the parking lot, where he clung onto the windscreen wipers of the vehicle in an attempt to stop the man from leaving.
The man, however, drove off with the owner still clinging to the windscreen wipers, dragging him down a road for several hundred meters until the owner fell away from the car. The owner hit his head hard during the fall and was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
▼ This news report shows the scene of the crime, and the road where the owner fell.
While the customer fled the scene in his vehicle, he was later arrested based on security camera footage. The suspect has been arrested on suspicion of theft and attempted murder. However, he denies the charges.
With the owner seriously injured and the customer facing serious charges, these are grave consequences for what essentially amounts to stealing less than a hundred yen. Commenters online agreed, saying:
“A criminal record for attempted murder over just 80 yen? What was he thinking?”
“Unsupervised sales systems like these are likely to encourage crime.”
“Surely the customer would’ve been forgiven if it was just a one-time thing and he said it was a mistake.”
“I can’t help but wonder if the customer had been cheating the owner over coffee for a long time.”
“For the situation to escalate like this, there was probably a long history of it happening.”
While police haven’t released any further details regarding the case, it is possible that this may not have been a one-off incident. After all, it’s not the first time a customer has been arrested for pouring themselves a latte instead of a drip coffee at a convenience store.
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Man arrested for buying cup meant for 100-yen coffee but pouring 150-yen latte into it
-- 7-Eleven’s self-serve coffee machine seriously insults customers’ intelligence
-- Man in Japan orders female store clerk to prostrate herself over misunderstanding with his change
- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2022/10/27/man-arrested-for-trying-to-kill-a-convenience-store-owner-over-a-cup-of-coffee/
31 Comments
Login to comment
Hiro
Times must be hard. if the owner is willing to risk his life for 80yen.
dmhondz
If the owner is so concerned with the 80yen difference, the store has CCTV and they have the cars plate number that they can report to police later, why risk your life for such a small amount?
Sanjinosebleed
What did the owner think he was Starsky and Hutch???
Bit crazy to risk ones life over a coffee...!
Gaijinjland
The owner sounds even stupider than the customer. A large latte at most cost 200 yen. So he clings to the windshield for loosing 100 yen? If you’re that stupid you deserve to be in the hospital. Not condoning what the customer did either because if you’re stupid enough to drive away with someone clinging to your car you deserve to be in jail.
Buddy
Maybe the customer is a regular cheater and the owner decided to finally do something about it. Still, the owner's life is not worth the coffee price!
shogun36
I thought Lawson’s coffee machines were behind the counters and 7-11 was self serve?
or is that only in certain areas?
i haven’t had Lawson’s coffee in years, it’s terrible.
JTC
Stupid to the extreme.
4Tno
Don't know what the owner was thinking by hanging on to the windshield wiper. Take a picture of his license plate, call the cops to report the incident, and have a goodnight sleep in your bed and not at a hospital.
Garthgoyle
So... The owner tried to commit suicide over a cup of coffee, and not a man tried kill convenience store owner over cup of coffee.
bobcatfish
As a rule, whenever someone jumps on my car and clings to mywindscreen wipers, my first reaction is to put my foot down to shake him off. Who knew I was risking a murder charge.
bobcatfish
Isn't this the exact same story that appeared in Januaey 2021?
DudeDeuce
If this is a big issue that you have to riak your life over, how about putting the coffee machine behind the counter like the old days and push the button yourself? You do own the store and I know Lawson stores that operate things differently than other Lawson stores.
Danielsan
Some things are not worth the hassle. In the USA, shoplifters exit stores with cartloads of goods, and employees are prohibited from interfering, mainly due to fear of liability.
wtfjapan?
Lesson learnt. If someone jumps on my car, stop, throw them off, continue driving
Mocheake
Damn. Just tell the guy you pressed the wrong button. I'm sure an amicable solution could have been worked out. I think both of these guys made horrible choices.
Stephen Chin
With the owner clinging on the windscreen od his car how could the culprit driver see to drive?
Daninthepan
If a man is so angry at me over 80円, that he is willing to risk his life by clinging onto my windscreen wipers while being dragged down the road, I'm not sure I would stop either. No telling what he'd do.
Michael Machida
The customer did not try to kill the Conbini Owner. The Conbini Owner jump on the customers car. How is that trying to kill the Combini Owner?
Fighto!
I understand that the profit margins of convenis are wafer thin, competition fierce - and stores closing all the time due to lack of staff.
But seriously, if times are that tough that the owner feels the need to insrisk his life for a few coins, it's probably time to find a new way to make a living.
Eastman
if i am owner of that store i will not mind at all but will be careful next time when guy will appear.
its not worth of these coins to get injured.
Aly Rustom
No argument there!
That's a tough one! I'd say they are both equally stupid.
Chico3
My first reaction would have been to take a photo of that guy's license plate and report him. The combini's owner getting on the car is not worth it. At least with the photo and the security camera, you have the evidence.
As the customer, I would have just apologized for it and paid the extra 80 yen. Mistakes do happen, but just own up to it.
vendingmachinemusic
Don't cheat Japanese, they get upset.
Kobe White Bar Owner
Both men suffering from too much pride, shocker.
asdfghjkl
Kishida better take notice, the state of the Japanese economy and peoples finances from lack of wage inflation has turned people to this level of penny pinching.
sakurasuki
Who that's work, on contrary he just try to hurt himself!
Vending machine never lead this kind of crime, existent of this kind of coffee system in kombini that lead of a crime.
Hello Kitty 321
@bobcatfish
Do you often have people jumping on your car and hanging onto the windscreen wipers then?
TokyoLiving
Well, go to jail, loser...