By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Thanks to the quick actions of several citizens, a purse snatcher is in custody after attacking an elderly shopper. The robbery happened at a busy Summerlin shopping center in broad daylight.
The victim, a 73-year-old Summerlin resident, had just walked out of a Long's Drug Store and was about to get into her car. That's when she says a young man came up from behind and grabbed her purse.
Helen Stern says she felt her whole shoulder get yanked back. By the time she turned around, two men were running away with her purse. Stern says she screamed and several citizens came to her aide.
One even started chasing the suspects — cell phone in hand calling 911.
Police swarmed the area and captured one of the robbery suspects who was hiding in a nearby backyard. He is in custody.
Officers say they know who the second suspect is and expect to have him in custody by Saturday.
Their elderly victim is okay and wiser for the experience. “I was more intent on just getting into my car and going back home,” she said.
Ramon Denby with Metro Police says shoppers need to be aware of their surroundings. “Shoppers are caught up in the spirit of the season. They're not paying attention to their surroundings and environment. There's a lot more cash on hand out there, and our suspects know this,” he said.
Extra police officers are on patrol in the malls and around shopping centers throughout the holiday season as part of Metro's holiday safety initiative. But police say they need the community's help to keep everyone safe.
Police urge you to be aware of your surroundings, shop with a friend, don't count your cash in public, lock your car and don't leave your valuables in plain sight.
Investigators says just taking a few extra safety precautions would eliminate up to 90-percent of the robberies and burglaries they see during the holiday season.
Metro says these two purse snatchers face up to 30 years in prison for strong arm robbery of an elderly victim — who had only ten dollars in the purse they took.
 |
