Athens jeweler charged over death of would-be thief
An Athens jewelry store owner was charged with manslaughter on Saturday after a man he violently stopped from robbing his store on Friday died on the way to hospital.
The incident occurred on Friday when the would-be thief entered the jewelry store near Omonia Square armed with a knife after the owner left his post briefly to go to a nearby kiosk.
The scene that unfolded after the owner was alerted and returned to his store was captured on video from a building across the street. It shows the thief panicking when he realizes he is trapped and going on to break a street-level display window on the storefront with a fire extinguisher.
Two men, one of whom appears to be the owner, are then seen in the video published on Proto Thema website, kicking the would-be thief repeatedly in the head as he crawls through the broken glass out into the street.
Around a dozen people go on to gather around the prone figure, some still hitting him, until another individual steps in to defend the man on the ground.
According to police on Saturday, the would-be thief, who has been described only as being in 20s and a drug addict, died on the way to hospital as a result of his injuries.
