Hardware store robbery in Erlangen: 20-year-old arrested with pepper spray!

Hardware store robbery in Erlangen: 20-year-old arrested with pepper spray!

In Erlangen and the surrounding area, several cases of shoplifting and aggression have appeared in recent days, keeping the police on tenterhooks. On August 23, 2025, a 20-year-old man was caught stealing several items from the plumbing department at a hardware store. He cleverly hid the goods under his clothing and passed the checkout area without paying. He had already been noticed that same morning for suspicious behavior after stealing a spray can that could no longer be found in the market. Particularly explosive: When a store detective confronted him, the man sprayed animal repellent spray into his face and resisted by biting and hitting him.

Colleagues of the store detective and other customers immediately took the initiative and helped bring the situation under control. The police were finally able to arrest the 20-year-old, but he no longer offered any resistance. During the search of his vehicle and his sleeping place, a considerable amount of stolen goods from the hardware store as well as loot from a theft in Fürth were discovered. He was active here the day before and stole a hairdryer, where he also responded with pepper spray to an employee who stopped him. The total value of the stolen goods amounts to almost 900 euros.

Crime statistics and offender profile

The investigation shows that the young man targeted several hardware stores in the Nuremberg metropolitan region. An investigator reports that he increasingly broke into various stores and sometimes acted aggressively there. The police see the 20-year-old as the main accused as a repeat offender who was taken into custody due to his behavior and the seriousness of the allegations. He previously had no permanent residence in Germany, which doesn't make things any easier.

In another incident on Saturday in the REWE market in the Aisch Park Center in Höchstadt a.d. Aisch stole a backpack. A 30-year-old father is suspected of taking the backpack from a customer's stroller and running away with it. Thanks to the video recordings, the suspect was quickly identified. The police were able to confiscate the backpack and its contents from the suspect a short time later.

Call for vigilance

These incidents shed a worrying light on store security and rising thefts in the region. The Erlangen police are calling on the population to be particularly vigilant and asking for information about suspicious people or behavior. Above all, business owners should review their security measures to avoid such incidents. The results of the investigation will continue to be monitored in order to curb the trend of shoplifting and to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Providers and consumers can only hope that such criminal activities will soon be a thing of the past. The emergency services are working hard to ensure safety in the shops and on the streets.