Washington DC

String of Purse Snatchings Under Investigation in Northwest DC

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Thieves have snatched purses from six people in the Tenleytown, Friendship Heights and Chevy Chase neighborhoods of Northwest D.C. since mid-November, police say.

Security camera video from the first robbery at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW shows a woman sitting on a bench outside a book store with her purse beside her on Nov. 19. A suspect in a dark jacket with the hood up walks behind her a couple of times assessing the situation before he swoops in and grabs her bag. The victim runs after him, but trips and falls.

Since that robbery, police records show there have been five more similar incidents in the area:

  • Nov. 23 at 7:18pm: 3820 Huntington Street NW
  • Dec. 3 at 9:50 p.m.: 5012 44th Street NW
  • Dec. 4 at 9:50 p.m.: 3908 Ingomar Street NW
  • Dec. 17 at 6:24 p.m.: 3815 Ingomar Street NW
  • Dec. 24 at 5:21 p.m.: 4353 Yuma Street NW

One victim chased the suspect who grabbed her purse and he told her, "are the police on the phone cuz [SIC] if they are, I’ll kill you," according to the police report.

Another victim struggled with the suspect and fell to the ground.

In some cases, the suspect fled on a black bike.

One suspect was arrested on Dec. 13 before the last two incidents. Police reports indicate there could be two or more suspects involved, but police have not said if all of the incidents are connected.

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