NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida grandmother shopping at a kosher market tried to fight off a purse snatcher but wound up getting run down in the process.
Surveillance footage recorded the suspect waiting in the parking lot of the market, Dec. 24, for the opportune moment to take Judy Coppleman’s purse. The suspect then approached Coppleman’s car, the video shows, and opened the driver’s side door, taking her purse.
“I don’t have words. It was extremely scary. We were extremely violated,” Coppleman said.
Coppleman jumped into action as the purse-snatching man tried to get away.
“He already opened the door, took my bag, and he’s running away with it, so I ran after him,” she said. “I don’t know why. The car was parked right here, white car, a nice looking car, shiny. He got around into the driver’s side. I grabbed the passenger side. He takes off, and I got dragged a little bit.”
Coppleman said she was doing her weekly shopping with her daughter and two grandchildren when the thief struck, in the middle of the day. Two babies were also in the car, making the incident even more frightening for the family.
The video shows the grandmother getting knocked down by the car as it took off.
“I moved from New York to get away from all this,” said Coppleman’s daughter.
A community activist said this is not an isolated incident because another crime like this occurred recently.
“Our cars have dash cams,” he said. “We’re watching you, and we’re waiting for you.”
“It can really happen,” Coppleman’s daughter said. “We have faith in people, and we don’t expect this to happen, and it happened to me.”
If you have any information on this purse-snatching, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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