Sacramento Police Say Thieves Target Women Along Stockton Boulevard In Broad Daylight

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento police on Friday said there have been multiple robberies on Stockton Boulevard in the last two days.

All involved women older than 50, and the suspects got away. Police will increase patrols on Stockton Boulevard in both marked and unmarked vehicles.

One robbery that happened under similar circumstances on Stockton Boulevard last week was caught on camera, outside of the Sacramento Police Department's jurisdiction. The surveillance video showed a 73-year-old woman being followed and pulled to the ground and dragged. The thief took off with her purse. This was in Sacramento County.

And now police have seen a surge in the same type of crime within Sacramento city limits. They said there have been four robberies in just the last two days on Stockton Boulevard.

"They're still connecting all of the dots. So we can't really say right now that they're all related, but what we do know is that they're in the same general vicinity, occurred around the same time frame," said Officer Karl Chan, spokesperson for Sacramento police.

Chan said the victims have all been women in their 50s, 60s or 70s. The robberies happened in the daytime or early evening hours. Police said the suspect steals personal property by force, then takes off in a car.

"It's absolutely alarming and that's why we are taking it so seriously," Chan said.

Sacramento police are talking to businesses in the area, encouraging workers and customers to keep an eye out.