Purse-Snatching on Rise Against Seniors : Law: Attack on elderly woman that lead to her death is the latest in what police say is now a year-round crime.

It was a weekday morning when 82-year-old Theresa Bean and her husband Ray, 75, drove to a Dana Point shopping center to pick up a few things for the house.

Theresa’s husband dropped her off by the entrance to a drugstore while he searched for a place to park.

Seconds later, a car door knocked Theresa to the ground. A woman jumped out of the car and began pulling on her purse. Bean, refusing to give it up, was dragged on the ground.

On June 9, 20 days after the assault, Theresa Bean died from blood clots in the brain, which authorities say were caused by the attack.

While the death was unusual, the street crime that led up to it is not, law enforcement officials say.

Purse-snatching is “definitely on the rise,” and local officials are concerned with the trend, said Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson.

“The people they prey on are usually the elderly,” Olson said. “We have seen an increase in eight different areas in the county.” Purse-snatching was once prevalent primarily during the Christmas holidays, but is now seen throughout the year, Olson said.

“We’re finding it especially in areas where the elderly shop, and the only thing we can do is warn the public that (purse-snatchers) are out there,” Olson said.

Bean had always warned her neighbors about going to shopping areas alone, according to Ruth Segaser, who lives nearby.

“She used to tell me not to ever go to that shopping area alone,” Segaser said, who recalled that Bean also cautioned her to “never carry a lot of money.”

“She was a feisty little thing, and I used to tell her to loosen her strings because she might get in trouble,” Segaser said.

The Beans were known as “good Samaritans,” according to Segaser. Their son had been a victim of a serious beating two years earlier that left him comatose for a long period. He was the victim of an assault while at a party in Los Angeles when he tried to help a woman who was being attacked. He eventually lost his job because of the injuries and only recently regained speech skills.

Segaser said she is still shocked that anyone would rob and hurt an 82-year-old woman in broad daylight.

Sheriff’s officials are asking for assistance from anyone who saw the attack, which occurred at the shopping center at 34099 Doheny Park Road at 10:40 a.m. on May 21. Those who have information should call (714) 647-7000.

Authorities say the male accomplice was identified as having reddish-brown hair and a mustache, and the woman as being a blonde in her late 20s. Both left the scene in a white Cadillac.