Restaurant owner offers job to burglar instead of pressing charges
Carl Wallace, the owner of Diablo’s Southwest Grill in Augusta, Georgia, was shocked when he showed up to his restaurant one morning to a shattered front door. He quickly checked his surveillance cameras, and saw the scene that had unfolded earlier that morning.
At 4 AM, the burglar smashed the front door and ran up to the cash register, only to find it empty, after which he promptly left. Instead of calling the police, as most would after such a crime, Wallace decided to take to Facebook, offering the suspect a job and a chance at a better life.
On the post Wallace wrote: “To the would-be robber who is clearly struggling with life decisions or having money issues… please swing by for a job application. There are better opportunities out there than this path you’ve chosen…. Let’s sit down and talk about how we could help you and fix the road you’re on.”
Wallace soon went viral for his act of kindness, and hundreds are flocking to his restaurant because of it.
“They’re risking so much every time they do this: to the business owner, to themselves, or what could happen if the police show up during the process of the break in,” Wallace said sympathizing with the suspect.
Wallace said that he thinks the robber was the culprit of two other recent local robberies, as the victims of an attempted robbery said their surveillance footage matched his.
Wallace and Diablo’s are being praised in the Facebook comments, and Wallace hopes that others will follow in his lead.
“I can’t save the world but maybe I can make a change in one person’s life,” he said. “If they’re willing to do better then I’m willing to be there for them… The police catch him and he’s back on the street a few days later and that person’s life didn’t get corrected.”
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