As soon as that Thanksgiving meal settles deep in our stomachs and the holiday season starts to enter its peak, our attention turns from delicious turkey and delicious meals, and more toward that washing machine in the basement which is definitely on its last legs. Thanksgiving is all well and good, but Black Friday is when we stop being thankful for our loving family for one second, and start being thankful for 30 percent off that iPhone.
If you know where to go and how to conduct your business, Black Friday can be a great way to get yourself some new things for a fraction of the price you would usually pay. For lack of a better word, it's a steal - but one man took that maybe a little too literally when he tried to steal around $800's worth of electronics goods from a store on Black Friday.
For Jose Marin, 30, who lives in Washington Heights in the New York city of Manhattan, this seemed like the perfect plan. While crazed shoppers clawed and fought it out with each other for discounted goods in the battlefields of the aisles, Marin thought that the employees at a Best Buy wouldn't notice if he pilfered a couple of electronics for himself.
But unfortunately, much like the best-laid plans of mice and men, Marin's electronics heist went decidedly awry. The plan fell apart right around when security guards caught the thief trying to open up a box for a Playstation 4 worth $399 in the store, and held him until the police arrived.
Once New York's finest made their way to the scene, they opened Marin's bag, and they found way more goodies hidden away in that bag than just a Playstation. Along with a glass pipe that was said by police to contain a bit of "drug residue", Marin's bag had a cellphone and Amazon Echo speakers, as well as that PS4, with $826's worth of goods overall and no receipt for his purchase.
Because he hadn't bought the goods in his bag.
Led away in handcuffs, Marin was charged with petit larceny, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance, and will appear in court on December 10 to answer those charges. As he was led away, he reportedly asked: "Can I have my pipe back?" but the pipe was not given back to him.
Marin has eight prior arrests on charges including criminal mischief, theft of service and resisting arrest, and once he is in front of a judge, it remains to be seen whether he will be given leniency. When approached for a response, a Best Buy manager declined to comment, only saying: "We’re slammed right now."
In their report, police say that the PS4 in question was selling for $399, while the headphones and speakers were $109 each, while the cellphone Marin stole was worth around $99.
