Suspected Thief Tackled, Held

Several citizens captured a suspected purse thief and held the struggling man until Spokane police arrived, officers said Sunday.

As a result, Erik D. Mahoney spent his 21st birthday in the county jail on suspicion of first-degree robbery. Police said Mahoney told them he thought he couldn’t be charged with first-degree robbery because he didn’t use a weapon, but it was enough that the 75-year-old victim was injured.

The woman, who was not identified, suffered cuts and abrasions. She is a foot shorter and 100 pounds lighter than the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Mahoney, who gave his address as 420 W. Fifth.

The mugging occurred in the Safeway parking lot at 2525 E. 29th about 2:30 p.m. Friday. Police said the woman had just come from a nearby bank and was walking toward the grocery store when the suspect ran up behind her and grabbed her purse from her shoulder.

She was thrown to the ground and dragged until she released the purse.

A man in the parking lot gave chase and yelled for help, and another man tackled the fleeing thief. Several witnesses helped hold the suspect until officers arrived.

Police did not identify the citizens who helped.

They said it wasn’t known whether the suspect saw the victim at the bank.