Woman dragged by car in Chesco handbag theft
A man in a car that pulled alongside a woman walking in a Chester County parking lot grabbed her purse, and as the car pulled away, the victim was dragged by her handbag strap, police said Tuesday.
A man in a car that pulled alongside a woman walking in a Chester County parking lot grabbed her purse, and as the car pulled away, the victim was dragged by her handbag strap, police said Tuesday.
The victim suffered minor injuries to her face, chest, arms, and legs in the incident, which occurred about 8:15 p.m. Thursday at the Gateway Shopping Center in Tredyffrin Township.
Police are searching for the man and any other occupants of the vehicle. The driver was later captured on surveillance cameras attempting to use the victim's credit card.
The victim was walking in the parking lot near the TJ Maxx store when a blue or teal car with at least two white males in their late teens or early 20s inside approached the woman, police said.
One of the men grabbed the purse as the car drove away, dragging the woman by her handbag for about 10 feet.
The vehicle was last seen exiting toward Route 252 to the west of the shopping center.
About 30 minutes after the robbery, the driver attempted to use the victim's credit cards at a Wegmans supermarket and a Target store in Malvern. About an hour later, someone attempted to use a card at a Turkey Hill convenience store in Lancaster County.
The driver is thin and about 6 feet tall with a light beard and mustache. He was wearing a gray red-lettered "CALI" T-shirt, blue baseball hat with three stars on the front with a red bill, black sweatpants, and black-and-white sneakers. He has a tattoo covering much of his right forearm.
The second suspect has light blond hair and a thin mustache.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Dan McFadden at dmcfadden@tredyffrin.org or 610-408-3649.
610-313-8207 @MichaelleBond