GLENDALE : Purse Snatchings Reported at Mall

Glendale police said Wednesday they are investigating a spate of purse snatchings and similar crimes in the Glendale Galleria parking lots in which robbers have escaped with as little as $5 and as much as thousands of dollars in jewelry.

Since March 4, there have been seven such crimes at the shopping mall, the most recent of which occurred Tuesday morning when about $150,000 worth of gems was stolen from a jewelry store sales representative. The man was loading a tote bag containing the jewels into the trunk of his car when a robber swiped them out of his hands and ran off.

“It’s premature at this point to speculate whether all these incidents are connected or not,” said police spokesman Chahe Keuroghelian. The perpetrators and their tactics have differed from incident to incident, he said. The cars used in each incident have also varied, he said.

According to police reports, several of the crimes were committed by two people who patrolled the parking area searching for victims. The jewelry salesman told police that the thief who stole his tote bag escaped in a getaway car containing three other men.

In the most brutal of the crimes, a Sunland woman suffered scraped feet when she refused to give up her purse to snatchers last Friday. The woman told police she was walking through the parking area when a female passenger in a passing car reached out and grabbed her purse.

According to the police report, the woman held on and was dragged 1,500 feet by the car before she lost her grip and fell to the pavement, while the male driver told his accomplice to “cut her” or “stab her” to get the woman off the car.

The Sunland woman lost $80 and the belongings in her purse. In other incidents, the victims have lost between $5 and $300, jewelry and credit cards.

Keuroghelian said the Police Department’s robbery-homicide division is working with the staff of the department’s Galleria substation to investigate the crimes.

Officer Ernie Garcia of the mall substation said that he doesn’t think shoppers should feel wary about visiting the mall, but that the department is advising patrons to take some precautions to avoid purse snatchings.

Garcia gave these basic safety tips: Wear purses strapped over the head and across the chest, park in well-lighted areas, visit the mall accompanied by someone, keep purses closed and if a purse snatching is attempted, do not resist.

“Don’t fight. Just let the purse go because it’s not worth risking your safety. Try to get a good description of the suspects so they can be reported,” Garcia said.