Woman reports thwarted purse-snatcher

A 60-year-old Glendale woman fought off a would-be robber, who reportedly tried to snatch her purse this weekend, police said.

The woman parked and exited her car at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday in the 800 block of Luton Drive, when she suddenly saw a man walking toward her, according to Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.

She noticed the man “was acting suspicious,” so she walked faster toward her home, Lightfoot said.

Soon after, he reportedly started running toward her and grabbed her purse as she entered her driveway.

He tried several times to pull the purse away from the woman. But she didn’t let go.

The man reportedly brandished a can of pepper spray and pointed it at her as he tried to yank away her purse.

While he didn’t use the pepper spray, the woman screamed out of fear for her safety, Lightfoot said.

Her scream startled the man, who quickly ran south on Luton.

Later that morning, she visited the Police Department to report the incident.

She described the man as Latino or Asian, 5 feet 4, with a thin build and clean-shaven. He wore a dark hooded sweater and beige pants.

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