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HUNTINGTON BEACH : Suspect in Custody After Theft of Woman’s Purse

By Maria L. La Ganga
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A 24-year-old transient was in custody in the city jail Sunday, after an attempted strong-arm robbery at a local grocery story, police said.

The suspect, identified as Joseph A. Foranyic, apparently grabbed a woman’s purse as she loaded groceries into her car in the parking lot of the Albertson’s Food Center at Warner Avenue and Golden West Street at 9 p.m. Saturday, Police Lt. Gary Davis said Sunday.

The two struggled over the purse until Foranyic allegedly knocked the woman to the ground. Davis said Foranyic then ran, chased by several witnesses. The handbag was dropped as the suspect fled toward Ocean View High School.

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A police dog later found the man hiding under the school bleachers. Foranyic was booked on suspicion of strong-arm robbery.

The woman, whose name was not released, was treated at Huntington Humana Hospital for head injuries and later sent home, Davis said.

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Maria L. La Ganga

Maria L. La Ganga is the deputy managing editor for California and Metro, overseeing the Los Angeles Times’ largest editorial department. She joined The Times in 1981 as an academic intern, splitting her time between the former Metro section and National Dragster, the official publication of the National Hot Rod Assn. She has served as Seattle bureau chief, San Francisco bureau chief, edited in the Business section and pitched in on six presidential elections, five for The Times and one for the Guardian. La Ganga left The Times in 2015 and returned in 2018 after a brief hiatus during which she wrote for the Guardian and the Idaho Statesman. She was named city editor in 2022 and promoted to her current role in 2024. La Ganga graduated from Granada Hills High School in the San Fernando Valley and Cal State Northridge, where she studied English literature and journalism.

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