Stop Thief !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I had a rather uneventful day. I took the boys to the Museum for an IMAX show about the Deep Sea. We were back in the area of ‘home’ around 4:15 pm and I wanted something quick and easy for dinner. I went into the local grocery to pick out some quick fixins.

I was on my way to the checkout walking w/my oldest son past the end of the aisles. About the time that I reached the end of the aluminum foil/plastic wrap isle, a while male, appx 40 years old and very thin ran down the aisle nearly knocking me and my son over. I noticed the man carrying a small purse. My first instinct was that some man was messing around with his wife, but how rude!! Within a second I realized that that the woman in the aisle shopping had stepped away from her buggy. There was NO ONE ELSE in that aisle and I knew that he had just stolen HER purse. I quickly approached her and told her a man had just stolen her purse. Then we heard someone loudly yell something inaudible and then the emergency exit alarm went off in the back of the store.

I ran to the customer service telling them to call the police that a purse thief was in the store. Quicky they called, I was on the phone giving the police the details and mostly a description of the man. I gave the store my information if they needed a witness or the woman who had her purse stolen needed it. After I felt that I had done ALL I could do at that moment, I grabbed up my boys and proceeded from customer service and went to a cashier to pay for my items. While paying for my stuff I hear the lady in the checkout beside me talking about a man trying to grab her purse and she yelled (that was the loud inaudible yell). She was tugging back on her purse and he gave up and ran. This man tried to get out the store w/two purses!!!! Apparently he had a car (may have been stolen .... I think it was because it had handicap tags/plates and the man didn't appear handicaped. The tags were from the neighboring state, but isn't an unusual thing to see in my area. I talked to her briefly and she filled me in on the details of her ordeal while talking to a store manager. Within seconds, I had heard that there was a bad wreck at the intersection right infront of the store. In my heart I had an feeling that the incidents were related. I told store staff that when I left I was going to go check it out and see if I could see the man in the wreck.

Low and behold as I approached I saw the woman who I confronted about her purse. The police rushed towards me telling me that I didn't need to be there and had to leave. I told them that if this was related to the purse thief in the store I had to leave. He confirmed that they were related and directed me towards another office who took my info and statement.

It turns out that the police were passing him (the station is really close to the store) he panicked and floored it through the intersection crashing into another small truck (a Ford). The truck had flipped and rolled and was upside down. The thief had hit the metal light pole and was dazed but running through the field trying to evade the officers. They did catch him. He is going to jail, but my heart is going out to the man in the truck that flipped. They had to rush him to the local trauma hospital and the officers said that they were pretty sure he was not going to make it. The felt strongly that he'd be DOA. All this over a purse with nothing in it but (according to the owner of the purse) a few pens, a debit card and a maxi pad. She had the debit card cancelled just as soon as it was stolen. She had the number programmed into her speed dial on her cell phone! Good move on her part. He would have never gotten a chance to use it. Of course, now he could use that maxi-pad on the head wounds!

I'll post back if I hear anything about this fella that they didn't expect to make it. I suspect they'll wait to see if he lives or dies to determine if they'll charge him w/vehicular manslaughter, purse snatching, attempted purse snatching, wreckless driving, and possibly a stolen vehicle. This man is going down.... IF THEY CALL ME FOR COURT.... I'LL BE THERE!!!!!

Whew .... that was my drama for the day .... a real life COPS episode!!


UPDATE: The fella that was in the truck has made it (so far). He's still listed in cricital condition - from what I've learned it was an elderly man. The thief, has a history of drug abuse on his police record and apparently was no stranger to the 'system'. He has been hospitalized for a week .... hope it's been worth it to him. Dumbass!