HAPPY ENDING TO
PURSE SNATCHING
Written by Luz Leigh – 10 May 2008
The day
began like any other normal Thursday, but
before bedtime my world would be a much
changed place. The “8” on the calendar was in
red, denoting something important had taken
place on this date. The notation said “VE
Day”….the day victory in Europe was declared
in World War II. Then I had noted MOW; 2:15
read 2nd grade; play at school. MOW
indicated I had to be at City Hall at 10:30
a.m. to load the hot meals in my car and make
rounds to feed the hungry. Thus Meals On
Wheels. Play at school indicated my grandson
would be participating in an American Heritage
play at this school at 6:30.
We would be
finished with MOWing by noon allowing plenty
of time for me to return home, prepare a bite
of lunch, assemble the antique items I would
need for my presentation at the elementary
school. For a number of years I have been
privileged to speak to the youngsters about
the history of our little town. When I began
this back in 1998, the joke was they looked
for the oldest person around and there I
was. The presentation went well and by 3:30
p.m. I was leaving the campus.
Because my
cupboard was bare, I decided to go to the
nearby city to grocery shop. So far the day
has been a busy one for me; nothing out of the
ordinary, but that would soon change. I had my
grocery shopping list prepared on my
pre-printed form…..under produce the fresh
veggies and fruit I needed; under canned
goods, likewise. There are sections for fresh
or frozen meats; household items such as
laundry detergent, bleach, etc., then paper
goods. All neatly broken into various
categories.
All went
well. I found what I needed, wrote my check,
placed my sacks in the shopping cart and
exited the store. Just after doing so, I met a
friend whom I had not seen in a several
months, so we stopped to talk a few
minutes. Biggest mistake of the day; maybe of
my life. As we were talking, we were aware
that a truck had pulled into the lane where we
were standing. Assuming he was waiting for a
parking spot to become available, we paid no
attention to him. Second mistake. My friend
and I hugged and bid each other goodbye. She
headed toward the store; I toward my car. It
was at that moment I realized the truck was
moving really close to me and I felt an arm
brush against my right shoulder, at the same
instant I saw the arm extend from the driver’s
side of the pickup truck and grab my
purse. Another mistake. Ordinarily I secure my
purse in the shopping cart with the “baby”
strap but I had released it as I exited the
store. Upon snatching my purse, the young man
stepped on the gas and sped away….and I do
mean sped. He had what appeared to be a washer
and a dryer in the bed of the truck and when
he made the turn at the end of the row of
parked cars, one of the appliances fell over
with a loud bang. As soon as I realized he had
his hand on my purse, I began screaming, “Stop
him! He stole my purse”…over and over all the
while running after the truck.
Of course,
there was no way I could catch up with the
truck, but in screaming and running I drew
attention, and several folks were able to get
a description of the truck. I had not placed
my cell phone back in my purse following the
last time I used it as I ordinarily do but had
the phone in my jeans pocket. I quickly called
9-1-1 and reported to a most kind and
understanding dispatcher what had
happened. She remained on the line with me and
tried to calm me down after she alerted her
officers of the situation.
Numerous
folks on the parking lot came to my
assistance, including my friend who stayed
with me until my family arrived. One young
lady had jumped into her truck to try and
follow the thief. The manager of the store
came out almost immediately because one of the
store employees witnessed my running and
screaming and had alerted his boss. By now I
was in tears. I kept repeating, “Just take the
money and toss my purse where it can be
found.”
The
dispatcher had agreed to call my son who is in
law enforcement and was nearby. He called me
to ask if I was hurt; told him no, but when I
heard his voice I really began to cry. He
assured me he was only minutes away. Sure
enough I soon saw his patrol car come in view
with those familiar red and blue lights
flashing. Shortly before arriving at the
parking lot where I was awaiting his arrival,
he phoned to say “They have your purse.” I
think he told me they had the perpetrator, as
well, but all I wanted to hear was that my
purse was in the possession of the police.
After
spotting the truck and giving chase, two of
the city police officers apprehended the
thief, and retrieved my purse, (which he
meekly handed out the window of his truck
after the officers approached). They recovered
my cash which the man had removed from my
purse and placed in his pants pocket.
By this time
my older son was there with me as well as my
new daughter-in-law and her little
girl. “Welcome to the family”.
The officers
pulled into the parking lot next to my son’s
patrol car where I was seated. One officer
handed me my purse and asked me to see if
anything besides the cash was missing. After
looking through it, I told the officer
everything seemed to be there.
After taking
a statement from me, the police handed me my
money, all neatly packaged in a ziplock
baggie. I was free to return home, except we
had to retrieve my cart full of groceries. The
manager of the store had instructed one of his
employees to take the cart and place it in the
cooler where my meats and veggies would not
spoil while we waited for the outcome of the
purse snatching.
Now let’s go
back and review my day and see how the hand of
the Lord was on me all the way. One of our MOW
clients, who is an alcoholic, had been served
eviction papers that morning. A police officer
was positioned on the parking lot near his
apartment in case there was a problem; the man
did not answer the door so we proceeded to the
next apartment.
The Lord led
my friend to shop at about the same I did so
she was there to stand with me and give
comfort; my cell phone was in my pocket and
not in the stolen purse; both of my sons were
very close by and could reach me within
minutes; the witnesses who helped me give a
clear description of the pickup; the officers
somehow knowing which section of town to
proceed to; the return of my purse, including
my cash; and most of all, I was not harmed
physically during the incident. Emotionally,
it is taking a little longer to get over this.
My sons told
me that with the purse NOT being strapped into
the cart that may have saved me from injury or
even death. Since I was holding to the cart,
had the purse been secured to the cart when
the thief grabbed the strap, it could have
easily caused the cart to flip, causing me to
fall under the truck’s wheels. Maybe what I
thought had been a stupid mistake was guidance
from our Father; His way of protecting me.
I am so
thankful that none of the other shoppers or I
were not injured when he sped so fast through
the parking lot. The money and all the other
items in my purse could be replaced…..a life
can not.
