Purse Snatchers Targeting Women At Lunch
MCKINNEY (CBDFW.COM) - Lunch is costing a lot more for some women in Collin County. They are being targeted in Frisco, McKinney and Plano at restaurants that share one thing in common.
It happened to Martha Anne Elliott as she dined at a La Madeline Bakery in McKinney with a friend.
Someone sitting close behind her lifted her pocketbook out of her purse which was hanging on the chair behind her.
"Their chair was pushed up against mine," explained Elliott. "I felt uncomfortable."
"I felt a little jostling here at my side, but I ignored it," she said, until she got up to leave.
Pocketbook and purse snatchings at restaurants have become increasingly common as shown on several security camera videos. They've happened at three Plano restaurants in the past month, and police have security camera video of the suspect.
"They are pretty good photos," said Plano Police Officer David Tilley. "I'm thinking somebody knows who she is. Those photos are clear enough that they'll be able to identify and recognize this person."
The camera images show the suspect using credit cards.
This 75-year-old victim had to dispute nearly two thousand dollars in charges after her theft.
She now carries a smaller purse that's not as easy to steal.
"I have it in my lap and it helps i can put my napkin here and not lose it so quickly
Police say almost all of these thefts are happening at restaurants where you pay when you order because you are more likely to put your purse away.
