Arlington Hts. police release photos of robber
Arlington Heights police have released photos in an effort to identify a man who attempted to rob an elderly woman in a grocery store parking lot last week. A good Samaritan stepped in and stopped the robbery, but the offender got away.
Arlington Heights police are now asking for the public’s help to find the attempted robber. The images are from a parking lot camera, and both are blurry.
A 76-year-old woman using a cane was walking into the Jewel-Osco at 1860 S. Arlington Heights Road about 1:50 p.m. July 3, when she felt a pull on her purse, according to a police report.
The woman initially thought it was a friend playing a joke, but when she turned around she saw it was a man trying to steal her purse, police said.
The woman began hitting the man with her cane and yelling for help. The robber pushed her down, wrestled the purse away from her and started to run away, police said.
However, a 29-year-old man who saw the robbery chased the robber in the parking lot, tackled him and retrieved the purse, police said. The offender got away.
The robber is described as a white male between 25-35 years old, weighing 200-220 pounds. He was reportedly wearing a black baseball hat, black shirt, blue jeans and white gym shoes.
Police are not identifying the woman’s rescuer.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact the Arlington Heights police or call Arlington Heights Crime Stoppers at (847) 590-STOP.