Robbery suspects take chance and lose

First, an example of arrested behavior. Two gunmen stole 3,000 lottery tickets and $400 in cash from a downtown L.A. store and made what appeared to be a clean getaway. But “the lure of $15 in winning lottery tickets was too much for them,” reported the Thin Blue Line, a Los Angeles Police Department publication. The cheapskate robbers later returned to cash in the tickets.

“With the help of state lottery officials and an additional surveillance video, the suspects were identified,” the Blue Line said. They were later arrested, these two victims of Lotto fever.

Switching to legal transactions: In Glendora, Scott Brenneisen encountered a storefront that carried conflicting stories about the cash situation inside (see photo). “I asked one of the jewelers how they could pay cash for gold and diamonds if they had no cash on the premises,” Brenneisen related, “and he said with a smile, ‘If you have gold or diamonds we will find the cash.’ ”

Thanks for the warning: Neil Dixon of Venice saw a bumper sticker that evidently belonged to a parent who is sensitive about criticism of home schooling (see photo).

Speaking of the treatment of kids: I think we can all agree with Jeanne Jones that one restaurant dealt far too harshly with youngsters (see accompanying).

Chew on this: Mary Fosselman of South Pasadena noticed an ad placed by some folks who evidently had food on their minds (see accompanying).

Father’s daze: The Hilton Hotel chain has a website (behospitable.com) that asks readers to contribute stories about acts of kindness in everyday life.

I guess I’d have to mention a rainy day a year ago when I was 20 minutes late picking up my son at middle school. When I arrived at our pickup site in a nearby neighborhood, he told me to wait and ran to the closest house, where he knocked on the door. I saw him hand a woman the umbrella that he had been holding during the downpour.

When he returned, he explained, “A lady saw me standing out in the rain and brought me an umbrella.”

Then it hit me -- not only was I late but I’d forgotten to give him an umbrella. At least the kindly resident didn’t report me to the child welfare authorities.

miscelLAny: “Have you ever thought about using your column to do good for the world?” thundered Steve Sussman. “Well, here’s your chance to right a horrible miscarriage of justice. May I suggest soliciting your readers to give their best ideas on how Paris Hilton can break out of the slammer.

“I’ll start it out: Perhaps she can ask her old pal Nicole Richie for diet tips so that she can get thin enough to simply slip between the bars of her cell. I’m sure others can come up with even more devious/glamorous schemes.”

Perhaps Ms. Hilton will share the winning idea with behospitable.com.

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.