A Las Vegas vape shop owner allegedly stabbed a would-be thief Wednesday, and video of the event quickly went viral online.
In the video, the 22-year-old owner of the Smokestrom Smoke Shop in the Sahara Avenue Suite, Las Vegas, can be seen chatting with the two alleged robbers at his establishment.
Nguyen could be seen escalating the situation and stabbing him with a sharp blade. Shortly thereafter, Las Vegas police responded to reports of the robbery. The situation is still being investigated at this time.
Jonathan Nguyen became suspicious at 3:25 p.m. when two men in ski masks entered his store, according to TMZ. One of them took a tip jar when he ordered them to leave, but he dismissed it.
Nguyen launched an assault on one of the suspects after they allegedly crossed the counter in an effort to grab more. He grabbed the suspect and stabbed him at least seven times. Later, he explained to the authorities that he was forced to act in self-defense. The suspected robber who was stabbed at the event was later identified as only 17 years old, according to Las Vegas police.
The Las Vegas vape shop stabbing is the latest in a string of crimes the state has seen, according to the Nevada Independent. 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.
Although the Covid-19 shutdown had a negative impact on crime in 2020, violent crimes have only increased in some areas of the state since then.
According to Ernesto López, an investigative specialist at the Criminal Justice Council, there are a variety of reasons why such changes may take place. He stated that finding plausible explanations for social phenomena is very difficult in an interview with the Nevada Independent.
From a different angle, an increase in crime rates can also indicate an improvement in law and order in general because it can indicate that people are more likely to report crimes to the police.