Purse-Snatching Victim Fights Back and Wins
A Valley College student who fought a purse-snatcher was dragged halfway into his van Tuesday, but hit the man on the head until she got away, police said.
The robber had pulled over in a white van about 11:20 a.m. near Hortense Street and Vineland Avenue and asked the 27-year-old student for directions, said Police Sgt. Robert Ontiveros.
When she approached the van, the robber grabbed her purse and started to drive away, but the purse strap was still wound around the woman’s shoulder. She hung on and pulled herself into the van through the door.
“She was screaming and beating on him,” Ontiveros said. “She’s tough.”
The man drove for about four blocks as the woman pummeled him with her fists, Ontiveros said. He then stopped the van and she escaped.
She recovered the purse when the man tossed it into the street and drove away.
The woman, who was not injured, lost $30 that apparently tumbled out of her purse during the scuffle, police said.
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