An expensive cup of coffee

[enzfan]

It cost a man his life for $5 in a tip jar. Completely fucked up.[:(!]



Man killed trying to stop Starbucks tip jar thieves



Mar 6, 2008 at 7:48 AM PST
By Associated Press
CRESTWOOD, Mo. (AP) - Surveillance video from a Starbucks in a St. Louis suburb captures how Roger Kreutz's life changed in an instant.

He stands in line behind a young man and woman at the coffee shop, where he's a regular customer. The young man fiddles with items on the counter while she orders a coffee, pays and heads out the door. The young man swipes the tip jar, and Kreutz, in the spur of the moment, gives chase.

What happened next is not caught on tape. Police say the two suspects, with the young man behind the wheel of a 1990s white Ford Taurus, ran over the Good Samaritan in the parking lot.

Kreutz, 54, died Wednesday at a hospital, two days after he was struck.

"I don't claim to understand it," police Chief Mike Paillou said at a news conference. He said detectives are following up on leads but asked for the public's help in identifying the suspects. He did not know what provoked them - "fear, confusion, being young?"

It's believed there was about $5 in the tip jar.

Family members weren't surprised Kreutz went after the thieves.

"He was just caring, loving, witty and extremely loyal," said his youngest brother, Chris Kreutz, 42. "That's how my brother is. I would have done the same thing."

The Kreutz family owns the Holiday Inn and Viking Conference Center down the street from the Starbucks. Roger Kreutz was the oldest of five brothers, and he and Chris lived in separate, converted quarters inside the hotel.

Roger often worked early and late hours, and took time in the afternoon to exercise with his brother, Chris Kreutz said. Their habit was picking up drinks at Starbucks. Chris Kreutz said he usually drank his iced latte before his workout, while his older, responsible brother waited until after he exercised.

On Monday, he wondered what was keeping his brother, who had gone for the drinks. That's when he was called to the hospital.

The brothers' father, Edward Kreutz Sr., was vacationing in Florida and hurried back to Missouri, fighting through a snowstorm on Tuesday to get here. His son was in a coma.

"I kind of feel he kept alive so I could get back to see him," the elder Kreutz said Wednesday.

Chris Kreutz said those who ran over his brother should turn themselves in.

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the conviction of the suspects. Starbucks Corp. contributed $10,000, which an anonymous donor matched.

The Seattle-based company said in a statement that Roger Kreutz "was a longtime regular Starbucks customer whose daily presence will be sorely missed by the many Starbucks partners who knew him."

A single rose, with a note offering prayers, stood in a vase on the coffee shop counter.

Disbelief reverberated throughout Crestwood.

Nate Van Laere, co-owner of the Panchero's Mexican Grill restaurant in the same shopping plaza as the Starbucks, called Kreutz's death "a fluke incident and a real tragedy."

"It just doesn't make any sense, and hopefully they'll get prosecuted," he said of the suspects

[eight6]

...all over $5.00...shit, that isn't even enough to buy a Starbucks coffee.

[i]"He was just caring, loving, witty and extremely loyal," said his youngest brother, Chris Kreutz, 42.[/i] Nice description Chris, he was your brother not a Cocker Spaniel.

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[glokstadt]

Saw this on Headlines News yesterday afternoon, and it just doesn't make sense (or cents) to lose your life over $5.00—I think that's why the majority of folks, including myself, would have just let them go for that amount of change... no heroics, just a stupid young couple.

It is sad that such a decent human being had to lose his life so tragically.

Lately, with all the gang shootings in Los Angeles, the fast-food joint shootings, shootings at many public places, it just seems better to not go anywhere, use the drive-thru all the times, and just stay at home and hope no one wants to do a "home" invasion robbery of your house...



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[enzfan]

I agree Glok. Had work done on the van yesterday it was around 1pm and I was hungry. Closest eating establishment within walking distance was Waffle House(yes I know that loosely qualifies as an eating establishment) I sat down with a paper and was always scanning whoever entered to determine if they looked like a looney that would just open up fire on customers. I had already planned out my counter avoidance plan while sitting in the booth. Sadly it has come to this.

[i_like_lectric_motors]

Get used to it, guys. It'll get a lot worse before it gets any better. You have my sympathy, Glok. There's not enough money in the world to get me to even visit L.A., much less live there. Get out while you can.

[glokstadt]

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>Get used to it, guys. It'll get a lot worse before it gets any better. You have my sympathy, Glok. There's not enough money in the world to get me to even visit L.A., much less live there. Get out while you can.

[/quote]

I moved 4 years ago away from Long Beach, CA--as my neighborhood was going down the toilet... cystal meth heads and parolles selling drugs, just decieded to move to a more "white" area. LBC was all mixed up with Latino/Afro-American/Whites/Asians (mostly Cambodian!).

The City of Santa Clarita, Saugus Area I moved to has 74+% White, 2% Afro-American, 20+% Latino/Hispanic, and 4% Asian.

Was thinking of moving, but I think I hate snow, the cold, and love the weather here in California--passed up a job in Wisconsin (Milwaulkie) 3 years ago, and one in Chicago last year... Thinking of leaving the state, but think I would be too much a fish out of water in another state, visited many, and don't feel like I fit in...

And you never know, I might just up and pack it in, once gas gets to $5.00/gallon! [:p][;)]


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[Bitter Almonds]

<p align="justify">What got me thinkin' was, "WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A 'TIP' JAR AT THE MUTHAFUCKIN' STARFUCKS?!" Goddamn ceo has pay the sodajerks a little more![}:)] Fuck that shit. This should also make one think of the old adage, "LEARN TO CHOOSE YOUR FUCKIN' BATTLES." You know what? Fuck it. I'm not gonna fight some strung out crackhead for money. I'll do it for loved ones without hesitation, but never for money. I just lost 200 bucks at the bank; am I gonna run after the bank manager to the parking lot? I got jipped by chase credit card on some trumped up "fee;" am I gonna track down chase to the parking lot? I can't live performing acts of misguided altruism. Tomorrow I will try to make more money to recoup today's losses and I will avoid any altercations (as I would hope anyone with common sense would do).

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by glokstadt[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>Get used to it, guys. It'll get a lot worse before it gets any better. You have my sympathy, Glok. There's not enough money in the world to get me to even visit L.A., much less live there. Get out while you can.

[/quote]

I moved 4 years ago away from Long Beach, CA--as my neighborhood was going down the toilet... cystal meth heads and parolles selling drugs, just decieded to move to a more "white" area. LBC was all mixed up with Latino/Afro-American/Whites/Asians (mostly Cambodian!).

The City of Santa Clarita, Saugus Area I moved to has 74+% White, 2% Afro-American, 20+% Latino/Hispanic, and 4% Asian.

Was thinking of moving, but I think I hate snow, the cold, and love the weather here in California--passed up a job in Wisconsin (Milwaulkie) 3 years ago, and one in Chicago last year... Thinking of leaving the state, but think I would be too much a fish out of water in another state, visited many, and don't feel like I fit in...

And you never know, I might just up and pack it in, once gas gets to $5.00/gallon! [:p][;)]


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[/quote]

<p align="justify">Mission Viejo is turning bad as well. I woulda never thought the day would come, but, then, when I used to live in Tustin back in the early 90s, it was predominantly caucasian. Nowadays you gotta roll up your windies and lock the doors to your cars when you drive through certain parts of it. Black "gang unit" police cars drive by there often and I get alerts from SAPD to not drive through certain parts of santa ana when the mexican gangs start acting up.