HOMESTEAD, Fla. (WSVN) — Police are searching for a would-be robber who attempted to steal a woman's purse and ran her over with his vehicle as he fled the scene, Monday morning.
According to officials, around 10:20 a.m. 41-year-old Sara Delgado pulled up to a gas station at 1106 N. Homestead Blvd. When she got out of her midsize sport utility vehicle to pump gas, another vehicle, a black Hyundai Santa Fe, drove up next to her SUV.
The suspect is then seen in surveillance video opening the rear door of his SUV. According to police, he was looking at Delgado's vehicle from his own back seat. "I think he was basically scoping her out, watching her [and waiting for] that one moment when he can strike," said Homestead Police Detective Fernando Morales.
The footage then shows the suspect going around the Santa Fe and opening the front door of his car. He is then captured opening the driver's side front door of the victim's unlocked SUV and grabbing her purse.
Delgado saw what was happening and made an effort to yank her purse away from the would-be-thief. The subject then let go of the purse. As he drove away, he ran over the woman with his vehicle. Police said he may have showed her a gun.
"As she comes around running to try to stop him, for some reason, she's dragged underneath the tire of the car as he's driving away; the car goes completely over her," said Morales. "As he drives away, you can see at her rear tire, you're going to see the victim laying on the ground."
A Good Samaritan sat with Delgado, a mother of three, until paramedics arrived. She was transported to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where she is recovering from serious injuries sustained to the left side of her body. She is listed in fair condition and is expected to be OK.
Morales said drivers, especially women carrying purses, need to remain extra vigilant, keeping their purses with them or locked in their cars. "What they do, basically, is they scope out women, most of the time females carrying purses in their cars," he said. "If they see them exiting the car without a purse, that's an indicator that the purse is somewhere near."
A few hours after the attempted robbery, a woman filling up her car left her driver's side front door wide open. When told about what had happened earlier in the day, Valerie Seashotz replied, "It is scary."
Seashotz said she has seen reports of similar incidents in the news but sometimes forgets to be cautious. "But I took my keys with me," she added.
The suspect fled in a black 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. Police described him as a white Hispanic male in his 20s with a sculpted goatee.
If you have any information on this attempted robbery, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
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