Woman, 81, Brutalized In Daylight Robery

An 81-year-old woman may have suffered a broken hip when a purse-snatcher threw her to the ground during a noontime robbery Friday, police said.

The incident occurred at Chapel Avenue and Inverness Street in the Washington Manor neighborhood according to a statement issued Monday.

The statement said San Leandro police arrived at the crime scene at 12:17 pm Friday and found the victim lying on the ground in obvious pain. She was taken to a local hospital with what was believed to be a broken hip.

Police said the victim and witnesses said that a light-complected black woman, about 17 or 18 years old, came up behind the victim and pushed her to ground.

The suspect then grabbed the victim's purse and drove off in a lightly-colored four-door sedan that may have been a Honda Civic.

Police said the suspect is about 5-feet-2-inches tall, weighs about 120 pounds, and was dressed in black jeans and a black hoodie at the time.

"This was a vicious and cowardly act of violence," said police department spokesman Lt. Jeff Tudor in asking for help in solving the crime.

Tudor urged anyone in the Chapel and Inverness area with video surveillance tapes or any other information about the suspect to contact San Leandro Police Sgt. Rocha.

The department's non-emergency number is (510) 577-2740. Its anonymous tip line is (510) 577-3278.

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