Teenager Arrested for Smashing Kiosks to Steal Cash in Helmet

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A 16-year-old has been apprehended by police on charges of stealing cash from multiple unmanned stores in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. He reportedly stated that he stole the money to pay off cyber gambling debts.

Reporter Lee Hyun-jung has the details.

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At an unmanned store in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, last month.

A man wearing a helmet strikes the padlock of an unattended kiosk repeatedly with a hammer, opens the cash box, and gathers banknotes.

Another unmanned store nearby.

CCTV cameras are clearly visible right in front of him, but unbothered, he smashes the kiosk with a hammer as well.

Responding to reports from affected store owners and witnesses, police searched the surrounding area and spotted the suspect fleeing on a motorcycle.

When a police car blocked his path, he even abandoned the motorcycle and tried to escape, but was eventually caught hiding in a nearby building parking lot.

[Jeon Min-geun / Investigator, Violent Crimes Team 4, Ilsan Seobuk Police Station: We spotted the suspect driving recklessly. When he was stopped at a red light, we checked his physical description and noticed his motorcycle helmet, the earphones attached to it, and his shoes matched the ones worn during the crime.]

Upon catching him, police identified the suspect as a 16-year-old boy surnamed A, who was found to have committed the crimes while riding a stolen motorcycle without a license.

Police stated that over three days, he stole approximately 870,000 won in cash from a total of 10 locations, while the repair costs for the damaged kiosks amounted to about 3.8 million won.

Teenager A reportedly told police during questioning that he committed the crimes to pay off debts incurred from cyber gambling.

A has dropped out of school and, being over the age of 14, does not qualify for criminal punishment immunity as a juvenile delinquent under the law.

Police plan to investigate the specific details of the crimes and refer A to prosecutors without detention on charges including special theft, attempted special theft, and driving without a license under the Road Traffic Act.

(Video Editing: Jeong Yong-hwa, Footage courtesy of Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.