Two charged with attempted robbery in Mount Prospect parking lot

Two people who authorities say snatched a woman's purse from a Mount Prospect parking lot last month and dragged her with their car when she refused to let go of the bag were ordered held on $100,000 bail Thursday.

Thomas Nowakowski, 25, and Kyra Santiago, 24, of the 0-100 block of Timber Terrace in Cary were charged with attempted robbery, aggravated battery and leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily harm. If convicted of the most serious charge, they face up to five years in prison.

The woman, 46, suffered a laceration to her head and abrasions to her legs and arms, prosecutors said.

The woman was in the parking lot of a Walmart store at 930 Mount Prospect Plaza about 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 17. She was loading purchases into her car when a green Ford Focus pulled into the space next to her, said Cook County assistant state's attorney Caitlin Casey. The passenger, who authorities say was Nowakowski, exited the car, took the woman's purse from her shopping cart and returned to the Ford Focus, Casey said. The shopper ran after the car, which authorities say was driven by Santiago. The shopper grabbed her purse and was dragged about 400 feet, Casey said.

Video surveillance led police to the car, which was registered to Santiago, Casey said.

Mount Prospect police Friday said Nowakowski and Santiago had also been charged with a felony count of theft for an incident in the parking lot of Aldi, 1000 Mount Prospect Plaza, on Aug. 16 in which Nowakowski is accused of stealing a purse from a shopping cart while Santiago acted as a getaway driver.

Nowakowski and Santiago next appear in court on Oct. 6.