Police have arrested a man for allegedly snatching a purse from a 78-year-old woman in a wheelchair in Brooklyn.
The suspect has been identified as 18-year-old Cody Santiago, also of Brooklyn. He was taken into custody at his mother's apartment in a complex not far from the 83rd Precinct. It wasn't immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
The July 20 robbery at the southeast corner of Wyckoff Avenue and Bleecker Street was captured on surveillance video released Tuesday, which proved crucial in identifying the suspect.
Though the elderly woman was unharmed in the robbery, she retains a fear of the street that may never dissipate.
"He took my bag, but I didn't yell because I was afraid he would hurt me or punch me," Catalina Mateo told NBC New York on Wednesday.
The man is seen on the video walking ahead of Mateo, then turning around to snatch the purse from her lap before running away.
Moreno, who had a stroke three years ago and lost feeling on her left side, said the bag held $15, along with her medicines, blood-pressure monitor, ID cards and food stamps.
"He's a bad person who did a bad thing," she said. "I hope police catch him soon so this won't happen to anyone else."
