Burbank PD Seeks Public's Help to Identify Purse Thief

On September 12, 2017, at about 10:45 A.M., an elderly woman was grocery shopping at Ralphs, located at 2600 W. Victory Blvd. in the City of Burbank. The woman, who is 82 years old, was maneuvering through the store in an electric scooter and had placed her purse on the floor board. At one point, the woman reached up to grab an item from a store shelf when the suspect depicted in these photos reached down, snatched the victim's purse from the scooter, and left the store.

The suspect was captured leaving Ralphs in an older, 4-door white sedan with chrome rims. The vehicle is possibly an older model Lexus GS.

A short time later, the victim's purse was found dumped near the intersection of Buena Vista St. and Vanowen St. The victim's credit cards, identification, and currency were missing from the purse.

It was then learned the victim's credit cards were used to make two large purchases at Target and Lowe's. Although store locations are still being verified, the purchases were possibly made at the Empire Center.

The suspect is described as an African American female, 20-30 years old, about 5'5" to 5'8", 110-130 pounds, with brown hair in a pony tail. The suspect was wearing a black t-shirt, ripped blue jeans with black leggings underneath, and black shoes.

Anyone with information about this suspect is asked to call the Burbank Police Department Investigations Division, at (818) 238-3210. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 MOBILE APP,” or through their website, at LACrimeStoppers.org.

ARTICLE UPDATE 9/13/17, 11:40 A.M.: Article updated with the victim's age.

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Questions about this news article should be directed to Sergeant Derek Green, Press Information Officer, at dgreen@burbankca.gov, or (818) 238-3240.

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