Crime & Safety
Purse Snatcher Gets Away But Not With Purse
Witnesses to the Ladera Ranch assault give chase but give up after the suspect wields a handgun.
A purse-snatcher in Ladera Ranch got away Saturday night after witnesses chased him down, but not before dropping the purse he was trying to steal, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
A 51-year-old woman was walking home after shopping at about 8:15 p.m. when she was approached by a man near the intersection of Windmill Avenue and Mercantile Way, one block west of Antonio Parkway.
“The suspect pushed her from behind, knocking her to the ground and at the same time, grabbing her purse,” said Lt. Roland Chacon.
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They struggled for the purse a bit, but the suspect was able to tear it away from the victim. He then fled, Chacon said.
People in the neighborhood who witnessed the attack gave chase until the suspect brandished what could have been a handgun, Chacon said.
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The suspect escaped in a late model blue Honda Civic, Chacon said, but not before dropping the purse and all of its contents.
The Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with information about the incident to call Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or 855-847-6227.
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