Crime & Safety

Purse Snatcher Nabbed After Hitting 79-Year-Old Woman

Suspect caught hiding in a trash can after incident in broad daylight on the 700 block of Fountainhead Dr. Victim shaken but not seriously hurt. Off-duty parole officer helped out.

Bay City News -- An Oakland man has been arrested on suspicion of elder abuse and robbery for allegedly snatching a purse from a 79-year-old woman in San Leandro on Tuesday afternoon, police said today.

But the suspect was soon caught hiding in a garbage can thanks to the victim's pluck, the help of an off-duty parole officer.

Police say the elderly woman was not seriously hurt.

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Police believe that Diario Smith, 20, snuck upbehind the elderly woman on the 700 block of Fountainhead Drive as she was walking home from a store around 3:30 p.m., carrying two grocery bags and her purse according to police Lt. Jeff Tudor.

Smith allegedly grabbed the woman's purse, which caused her to fall backwards and hit her head on the concrete, Tudor said.

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The woman still had control of her purse while she was on the ground and Smith continued to pull and shake the purse, causing her to hit her head on the ground several more times, Tudor said.

The victim suffered multiple mild abrasions.

The alleged robber eventually got the purse and fled on foot, Tudor said.

But an off-duty parole agent who happened to be in the area noticed the woman on her hands and knees screaming for help, Tudor said.

The agent also spotted a man later identified as Smith running away. The agent chased after Smith but lost sight of him in the 14900 block of Inlet Court.

When San Leandro police officers arrived on the scene they set up a perimeter and conducted a search.

A short time later, officers found Smith hiding in a garbage can in the 14900 block of Peninsula Street. He was taken into custody without incident, Tudor said.

"The suspect in this case targeted an innocent, vulnerable, elderly member of the San Leandro community," Tudor said. "We are proud of the fact that we were able to get the suspect in custody and are thankful that the victim was not seriously hurt."

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