Purse snatcher stabs 68-year-old woman 12 times in Chinatown

Investigators arrested a 26-year-old man for brutally stabbing a woman 12 times as he allegedly tried to steal her purse in Chinatown.

Prosecutors charged suspect Derrick Darby with attempted murder on Wednesday. He's being held in jail in lieu of a $2 million bond. 

The 68-year-old victim fortunately survived the violent attack. She's recovering at home. 

Many people who work, walk, and sell fresh food along the sidewalk where it happened witnessed the suspect approach the woman before trying to rip away her purse Sunday afternoon. 

Chester Chong, the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said the 68-year-old tried to hold onto her purse as long as she could, but the suspect wrestled it out of her hands and ran away. Chong said the woman was intently holding onto the clutch because it contained her ID and medical cards.

Chong, other bystanders and even the victim chased after the suspect, at one point even punching him as he tried to get away. 

However, this only enraged the suspect. He threw the 68-year-old to the ground and stabbed her 12 times. 

Video from Sunday showed bystanders treating the woman's wounds before paramedics drove her to the hospital.

Chong wrestled with the thought that it may have been better to let the suspect run away if it had spared the woman the gruesome wounds. 

"Let it go," he said. "Your life is more important than everything. That's number one. Just carry something you think you need, a little money."