A Las Vegas vape shop owner allegedly stabbed a would-be thief on Wednesday, and video of the event quickly went viral online.
The 22-year-old owner of Smokestrom Smoke Shop in Sahara Avenue Suite, Las Vegas, can be seen in the video conversing with the two suspected thieves at his establishment.
Nguyen could be seen escalating the situation and stabbing him with a sharp blade. Shortly after, Las Vegas police responded to complaints about the robbery. The situation is still under review at this time.
Las Vegas Vape Store Knife Attack Details
Jonathan Nguyen became suspicious at 3:25 p.m. when two men wearing ski masks entered his store, according to TMZ. One of them took a tip jar when he ordered them to leave, but he ignored it.
Nguyen launched an assault on one of the suspects after they allegedly ran through the counter in an attempt to grab more. He grabbed the suspect and stabbed him at least seven times. Later, he explained to the authorities that he had been forced to act in self-defense.
The suspected thief who was stabbed at the event was later identified as just 17, according to Las Vegas police.
Violent crime in Las Vegas
According to the Nevada Independent, the knife attack at the Las Vegas vape store is the latest in a string of crimes the state has seen. While many areas of Nevada have seen an overall drop in crime, some areas have seen an increase in murders, assaults and robberies since 2021.
Even though the Covid-19 shutdown had a negative impact on crime in 2020, violent crime has only increased in certain areas of the state since then.
According to Ernesto Lopez, research specialist at the Criminal Justice Council, there are various reasons why such changes may take place. He claimed that finding plausible explanations for social phenomena is very complicated in an interview with the Nevada Independent.
From a different perspective, an increase in crime rates may also signal an improvement in general public order, as it may indicate that people are more likely to report crimes to the police.