scorpion 0 Posted October 10, 2007 Cameras help ID suspects in purse snatch http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=563&topicId=16438&docId=l:681084202 Copyright 2007 Flint Journal All Rights Reserved Flint Journal (Michigan) October 7, 2007 Sunday THE FLINT TOWNSHIP NEWS EDITION COMMUNITY; Pg. FT01 318 words Cameras help ID suspects in purse snatch Jeff Smith, jfsmith@flinttownshipnews.com * 810.766.6328 FLINT TOWNSHIP FLINT TWP. - Three men suspected of involvement in snatching an elderly woman's purse at a popular restaurant have been identified with the help of four witnesses and the township surveillance camera system. The purse snatching at Ruggero's in Lincor Plaza was captured on the camera system and sent to police, said Flint Township Det. Randy Kimes. A 95-year-old woman was waiting in the doorway of the restaurant around 6:15 p.m. Sept. 27, when a white car carrying three men stopped in front of the restaurant. One man in the vehicle jumped from it, grabbed the purse off the woman's arm and got back into the car. Two waitresses in the restaurant witnessed the crime, along with two county employees, who were doing maintenance work on a drain in the plaza. The two county workers jumped into their vehicle and chased the suspects' car east down Taft Road, following the trio as their vehicle crossed Dutcher Road and continued down Taft through the Utley Hills neighborhood, Kimes said. In Utley Hills, the driver lost control of the vehicle as it headed north on Monaco Street, crashing it into a utility pole. The disabled vehicle snapped the pole, and the three men bailed out. The men all fled the scene, but the county employees witnessed the crash. Police were able to identify the suspects by examining images taken from the Safe City security camera system, which is an ongoing project that targets the township's commercial strips. Lincor Plaza has three cameras keeping an eye on the property. Two of the suspects, 23 and 24 years old, from the Grand Blanc area, were arrested Wednesday. The third man, a 24-year-old from the Flint area, was to turn himself in to authorities Friday, the suspect's attorney told police. None of the men has a criminal record, according to police. The victim's purse was recovered from the vehicle, which was registered to one of the suspects. She was not hurt, Kimes said. October 7, 2007 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
