Teenager Snatches Purse From Woman In Parking Lot
When police arrived, the homeowner and the neighbors were holding the suspect down on the ground after he made several unsuccessful attempts to escape.
A 60-year-old woman was the victim of a recent South Hill robbery in a grocery store parking lot.
The woman told police she was loading groceries into her car in the Safeway lot near 29th and Southeast Boulevard about 8:30 p.m. Sept. 29 when a teenager approached her from behind.
The suspect grabbed her purse and tried several times to pull it from her shoulder before finally succeeding. Police said the woman was not injured in the struggle.
The suspect fled in a red Toyota pickup occupied by two other teenagers.
Women are advised not to resist if someone is trying to steal a purse, said Spokane Police Department spokesman Dick Cottam.
“It’s not worth it,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the trend is for a purse-snatchers to hit victims in the face and then take their purse,” he said.
Police advise women not to carry a purse but to carry any cash and credit cards in a pocket, Cottam said.
“A purse is just like having a big target,” he said.
Youths apprehended for school break-in
Police arrested three youths Saturday afternoon for breaking into Grant Elementary School, 1300 E. Ninth.
A security guard at the school noticed the three suspects loitering near the school. The guard alerted police a few minutes later when he discovered a broken window.
The three suspects, one age 11 and two age 12, were placed in Juvenile Detention on second-degree burglary and second-degree malicious mischief charges.
Residents detain burglary suspect
An irate homeowner chased and apprehended a burglary suspect who tried to escape after breaking into the man’s Lincoln Heights home Sunday afternoon.
The homeowner and his wife were in their basement when they heard the entry alarm on their sliding glass door about 2 p.m.
The homeowner told police he ran upstairs and saw a man running out the door. The homeowner, quickly joined by several neighbors, chased the suspect, caught him and held him until police arrived.
When police arrived, the homeowner and the neighbors were holding the suspect down on the ground after he made several unsuccessful attempts to escape.
Police said the suspect was believed to have broken into two other homes nearby, in the 3100 and 3200 blocks of East 36th, before breaking into the residence on South Ray.
Charles R. Cope, 21, was arrested on burglary charges.
Police said they recovered jewelry believed to have been taken in the other two burglaries.
Drug possession charged
Police arrested Sammie D. Rollins, 24, for possession of a controlled substance Oct. 1 after he was spotted by police carrying cash in one hand and several plastic baggies in the other.
Rollins was walking toward a waiting car in the 700 block of South Monroe when he was apprehended.
Police said tests showed that a white residue in the baggies was crack cocaine and the cash totaled more than $800.
The man in the car was not detained.
, DataTimes