I didn't even say not to beat them. If beating them is what you have to do, so be it. All I said was the greater community shouldn't celebrate it.
My point is I think these style of stories are glurge and I think people need to try and be aware of that.
Yes, the community should celebrate it - passing along the story that should yield some empathy in others regarding the feeling of being violated when your property is stolen; propagating the meme that thievery is wrong and that thieves often get caught.
Making excuses for thieves or decreasing the perceived impact of their behavior or the consequences to them only enables them.
Being the victim of theft is extraordinarily violating, and making it any easier for perpetrators of that violation is deplorable.
Of course, I realize this is mostly wishful thinking.
Uh OK, we should accept the loss of our hard earned cash /stuff because some thief is depressed and needs the money.
Confronting them can lead to bigger issues, jail for example and it's harder to argue self-defense when you went there, but they surely do need a thorough beating. Stay the hell away from my stuff and that's it.