Police say robbers thirsty, not greedy

HASTINGS, New Zealand, June 25 (UPI) -- Police in the New Zealand city of Hastings say two robbers decided not to rob a liquor store, choosing instead to take a single bottle from a customer.

Hastings police said the two unidentified suspects visited the local store Wednesday night and one of them threatened a store employee with a firearm in his pocket, The Dominion Post reported Thursday.

But while the two would-be robbers were talking with the employee, a customer came to the counter with a six-pack of alcoholic beverages.

Police said the armed robber then pulled a pistol from his pocket and took one of the bottles from the six-pack.

Detective Sgt. Warren Murdoch told the Post the two robbers then fled the store with the single beverage, leaving the store's earnings untouched.

"It doesn't usually happen that way. Normally they're more focused on the till," Murdoch said, referring to a store's cash register.