Police: Unlikely Trio Accused Of Targeting Elderly Woman
MODESTO (CBS13) -- Three women living under one roof are accused of attacking a 74-year-old woman and stealing her purse.
Virginia Magana, 39, and her daughter, Erica Jimenz, 18, are accused of bringing along a 13-year-old family friend on the hunt for a victim and quick cash.
Police say the unlikely trio preyed on a 74-year-old grandmother waiting for the bus.
The mother-daughter duo waited in the get away car, and sent the 13-year-old girl to do the dirty work.
"It was the 13-year-old who came out of the vehicle and grabbed the purse from the elderly woman," authorities say.
Attacking the woman from behind, the girl is accused of violently stripping the elderly woman of her purse. But, the daytime robbery put bus passengers on alert.
"I'm scared walking around, I'm always scared walking over there and walking through the parking lot," says Julie Peace, bus passenger.
And while the trio of robbers may have thought they were off the hook, police say they left behind a calling card: the car's license plate, which lead officers straight to their front door.
"Our investigators were disheartened to learn it was a mother- daughter team and recruited a 13-year-old," police say.
This the latest attack in a string of city wide random robberies. The violent crime rate is up 20 percent, and most of the time, criminals will target the elderly or women walking alone.
The mother-daughter duo may face additional charges for allegedly having the 13-year-old commit the crime.
This may not be the first time the mother-daughter duo and their young friend have struck. Investigators say they may be linked to other robberies.
