Police Arrest Cody Santiago, Suspect In Purse Snatching Of Elderly Wheelchair-Bound Woman
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police announced Thursday the arrest of a suspect in the robbery of a wheelchair-bound elderly woman.
Surveillance video showed a man walking past 78-year-old Catalina Mateo, who was riding in her motorized wheelchair. In the video, the man simply reaches into her lap, snatching her purse and runs off in the opposite direction.
1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reports: Suspect Arrested At Mother's Home
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The incident took place at the corner of Wyckoff Avenue and Bleecker Street in Bushwick.
Tips helped police identify the suspect as 18-year-old Cody Santiago. Police said he has two prior arrests for theft and sex abuse.
Mateo was unhurt, but was left without her purse and everything inside it. She said her purse contained $15, medicine and a blood pressure monitor. Now, Mateo said she feels scared to even leave her house.
"I'm handicapped. He didn't accept my situation," Mateo said. "That could happen again, to me or somebody else."
Santiago lives with his mother on Grove Street. Neighbors there said he hadn't been spotted in a few weeks.
"I never known him to get in trouble or anything -- always a quiet kid," Anthony Jordan said.
Watch The Surveillance Video Of The Theft:
If convicted of the crime, what is the appropriate punishment in this case? Sound off in our comments section below…
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