Police: Woman, 95, suffered broken hip in purse-snatching incident

By Jackie Valley

Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010 | 4:40 p.m.

Metro Police said a 95-year-old woman was in critical condition Thursday after an attempted purse-snatching on Desert Inn Road in late July.

Officials are asking any possible witnesses to come forward about the incident that happened at 10 a.m. July 26 in a grocery store parking lot in the 4800 block of Desert Inn Road.

When a woman came up from behind to grab the purse, police said the victim put up a struggle to keep her purse. The woman shoved the elderly victim to the ground without taking the purse, police said.

The fall to the pavement caused the woman to break her hip and suffer a small concussion — injuries police said she never will recover from.

"She had the mindset of a 75- or 80-year-old," said Sgt. Tom Melton of Metro's robbery unit. "She is still driving. She is still walking, still lucid. Now, she's kind of lost the will to live a little bit and that's what truly saddens us."

After the attack, the would-be robber fled with another woman in a dark blue, two-door, sub-compact car, police said.

The attacker was described as a white woman, 20 to 24 years old, 5-feet-5-inches tall and 120 to 140 pounds. She was wearing a light brown dress. The driver was also a white woman with long brown hair, police said.

If the victim dies, Melton said the charges against the women could be upgraded.

"They were looking for an easy target," Melton said. "You'd think a 90-year-old lady would be an easy target, but this woman put up a fight."

Police also asked the public for any more information about two men who are accused of robbing a wheelchair-bound elderly man in his home in July. During that robbery, the two men knocked on the victim's door claiming to be city workers there to repair his wheelchair ramp and grab bars in the bathroom.

When the men entered the home, they shoved the victim into a narrow hallway, where he was unable to turn around in his wheelchair, and forcibly took jewelry he was wearing, police said.

Police released sketches earlier this week of the two Hispanic men — one described as being between 20 and 25 years old, about 6-feet tall, weighing between 275 and 300 pounds with a pot belly and the other described as being between 50 and 55 years old, about 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds with a medium build.

Melton said police have received numerous tips through Crime Stoppers about the incident — a crime he considers premeditated based on the wheelchair ramp outside the home.

Despite these two recent incidents, Melton said crimes against victims older than 60 are down 33 percent this year.

Still, he urged elderly residents to be mindful of their surroundings and wary of potential scams.

"Be a little more aware of your surroundings," Melton said. "Keep your doors locked and don't be so trustworthy of individuals."

Metro Police asked anyone with information about these two incidents to call the department's robbery unit at (702) 828-3591 or Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555.