Woman injured during Southington purse-snatching, police say
A woman was injured when she was pushed to the ground during a weekend purse-snatching outside a Southington store, police said.
The woman’s leg, buttocks and back were injured during the theft, which happened about 2 p.m. Sunday outside Bed, Bath & Beyond, 835 Queen St. Police said they later found the crashed getaway car — which had been stolen — in Waterbury, but its masked occupants had run away.
There were numerous male thieves wearing ski masks in the BMW SUV when it pulled up to the store, police said. One got out and approached the woman, who was walking near the sidewalk, and snatched the purse off her shoulder.
The woman was knocked to the ground as she tried, unsuccessfully, to hold onto her purse, and the robber got back into the SUV, which took off, police said.
Officers found the fleeing vehicle speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on I-84 West, headed toward Waterbury, police said. They asked state troopers and Waterbury police for help.
The SUV had only two people in it when it later crashed, and they fled.
Police said they learned the black, 2008 BMW X5 had been stolen from its owner in Torrington the day before, after which it was used in a Waterbury robbery.
Anyone with any information about the vehicle or the people who may have been in it is asked to contact Officer LoCastro at 860-378-1600 x2451 or the Southington Auto Theft Task Force at 860-378-1600 x1619 or autotheft@southingtonpolice.org.
Christine Dempsey may be reached at cdempsey@courant.com.
