An elderly woman courageously fought off a thief trying to steal her purse, newly released video shows. Tracie Strahan reports.
What to Know
- An elderly woman fought off a purse snatcher inside an apartment building on the Upper East Side on Tuesday, new video shows
- Police said the woman fell to the ground during the struggle with the suspect and the robber took off after she screamed for help
- Officials said they later determined the same two men, along with a third, were part of a similar robbery last month on a 23-year-old woman
An elderly woman courageously fought off a thief trying to steal her purse, newly released video shows.
The video released by the NYPD shows the 80-year-old woman inside a building on the Upper East Side Tuesday around 8 p.m. when a man suddenly grabs her purse and tries to make a getaway with it.
Police said the woman fell to the ground during the struggle with the suspect. She screamed out for, according to police, and the would-be thief quickly ran off once a man ran out of his apartment to help.
A second man, who officials said was standing outside as a lookout, ran away with the suspect.
Police said they later determined the same two men, along with a third, were part of a similar robbery last month. A 23-year-old woman tried to fight back against the trio, but they ultimately shoved her to the ground and ran away with her purse. They also got away with headphones and $180, according to officials.
Both women suffered minor injuries, but were not hospitalized, authorities said.
Anyone with information about the suspects should contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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