NEW YORK — A 74-year-old Manhattan woman was punched in the face after she confronted a group of teenagers who snatched her purse, police said.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. Thursday as the woman was standing on East 14th Street in the East Village, the NYPD said.
Security video obtained by WPIX-TV shows three people passing the woman, one of whom grabs the woman’s purse.
As she turns to confront the thieves, one of them punches her, knocking her to the ground.
NYPD said the person who grabbed the purse dropped it and all three fled. No arrests have been made.
SHOCKING VIDEO: A 74-year-old woman was punched in the face when she confronted a group of teens for snatching her purse on a Manhattan street, police say
Full story: https://t.co/cpDRghFMDW pic.twitter.com/V25ZcJ5shb
— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) September 5, 2020
“Although the victim sustained bruising and swelling to her face, and cuts and scrapes to her hands, she refused medical attention,” police said.
NYPD described the suspects as two males and a female, between 14 and 18 years old.
The woman told WABC-TV she’s lived in New York City since 1963 and never experienced anything like what happened Thursday, saying she wants the neighborhood “cleaned up.”
The crime occurred a day after NYPD announced that robberies and assaults are edging up in the nation’s largest city, FOX reported.
There were 1,276 robberies reported last month compared to 1,226 in August 2019, a 4.1% increase. Assaults also climbed in the Big Apple, with 2,027 last month compared to 1,987 in 2019, an increase of 2.0%.
More importantly, gun violence is surging in the city, up 166% in August compared to the same month last year, the NYPD said.
Author information
Law Officer
Law Officer is the only major law enforcement publication and website owned and operated by law enforcement. This unique facet makes Law Officer much more than just a publishing company but is a true advocate for the profession.