A convenience store owner in Shirley in the US state of New York has shown mercy to a would-be robber after the man collapsed in tears claiming he only wanted to support his starving family.

Mohammad Sohail said he was getting ready to close his store shortly after midnight when a man in his 40s entered with a baseball bat in his hand, and told him to hand over the contents of his till. The store owner grabbed a rifle he keeps behind the counter and ordered the assailant to drop the bat. The would-be thief fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness.

The store owner showed mercy and provided the man with 40 dollars and a loaf of bread. He went to the back of the store to get some milk to give to the man, but when he returned the man had fled. Sohail said that although he called police, he didn't want to press charges if the man was caught.

(CCTV June 4, 2009)