A woman thwarted an attempted purse snatching in the parking lot of a grocery store in East Haven on Monday with what police said was a simple and proactive measure.
Dispatchers received a 911 call from a woman around 7:30 p.m. stating that she had just been involved in an attempted purse snatching.
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WATCH HEREWhen police arrived, they said they determined that a red or maroon Kia Sportage with Connecticut license plates began circling the parking lot.
At one point, the Kia is seen pulling up to the woman as she walked with her carriage through the parking lot. The Kia reportedly then pulled tightly next to the woman and stopped.
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SIGN UP According to the woman, a man wearing a light blue hoodie stuck his arm out of the rear passenger side window and grabbed her purse in the shopping cart while the female driver attempted to drive off.
Authorities said the woman had secured her purse strap to the shopping cart with the child seat belt and the man in the car was unable to remove it.
The vehicle briefly dragged the shopping cart through the parking lot before fleeing westbound on Route 80.
Police said the woman securing her purse to the cart was a simple, but effective proactive measure that made all the difference in the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact East Haven Police Department at (203) 468-3820.
