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Man robs woman with cane in Arlington Hts.

Arlington Heights police say they are investigating the robbery of a 76-year-old woman while she walked with a cane in a supermarket parking lot.

Police said the purse snatching happened about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday in the Jewel-Osco lot on the 1800 block of South Arlington Heights Road. Authorities said the thief — described as a white man wearing a baseball cap, long-sleeved black shirt and blue jeans — was last seen running west down Golf Road.

Cmdr. Miguel Hernandez said no arrests had been made as of Friday night in what’s classified as an aggravated robbery.

Authorities said the 76-year-old woman parked her car and walked toward the store with her cane when she noticed a pull on her purse. The woman initially believed a friend was playing a joke on her, according to police.

When she turned, the woman saw the man trying to snatch her purse. She then began whacking him with the cane and yelled for help.

Police said the thief pushed the woman to the ground and took the purse as a 29-year-old man rushed to assist the victim. Authorities said the good Samaritan then tackled the thief in the southwest corner of the lot.

Despite the tackle, the thief broke loose from the man’s grasp and ran toward Golf Road. The man retrieved the purse after the thief fled, gave it to the victim and called 911.

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