Precisely. The Rest of the Story. It often makes a difference . . . after reactionaries erupt into tirades against the authorities.
Consider this. A candy bar . . . less than a dollar . . . stolen from a store counter can result in a misdemeanor theft charge, and a few hours of processing into the system (apprehension, citation, booking, photography and fingerprinting, bonding out, release ~~ just like this yahoo experienced), and even ultimately a conviction.
No one hurt? It was only a candy bar! But, shoplifting adds roughly 12-18% to everyone's grocery bill. Inventory leakage is a greater loss to the typical retail business than armed robberies, "till-taps," or employee theft.
Feel sorry or sympathetic to petty thieves all you want. You're paying for it.