That's Pretty Low
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 | Updated 2:47 PM PST
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Two people are behind bars and a woman is hospitalized after an alleged purse snatching.
An 85-year-old woman who was injured during an attempted purse snatching was in a hospital Friday, while the man and woman suspected in the crime and another purse snatching were behind bars, police said.
Garnette Junior Reid, 25, and Laquita Vonne Deville, 20, both of Winchester, allegedly tried to grab the woman's purse Wednesday morning in Murrieta, but she hung onto it and fell backward, hitting her head, said Murrieta police Lt. Dennis Vrooman.
She was treated and released at a hospital, but later began to feel ill and was hospitalized, Murrieta police said.
Following the initial purse-snatching attempt, a man in another part of town stole a purse from a shopping cart while a woman was putting a baby in a car seat, Vrooman said. The man got into a PT Cruiser, but a witness called police and provided information about the license plate, he said.
A short time later, an officer spotted the car and a chase ensued, heading south on Interstate 215 to Interstate 15, then on Rancho California Road, then back on the freeway to Rainbow Valley Road in San Diego County.
The driver of the PT Cruiser at times reached speeds of 100 mph, Vrooman said.
The chase ended at a cul-de-sac on Rainbow Glen Drive, where the driver tried to turn around and hit a squad car. A California Highway Patrol officer then forced the PT Cruiser off the road and the couple were arrested, Vrooman said.
Reid and Deville were arrested on suspicion of elderly abuse, felony evading, robbery, attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Deville is also facing a possible child endangerment charge because she had her 3-year- old son in the PT Cruiser used as the getaway vehicle, police said.
Reid is being held on a no bail parole hold and Deville is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. Both are set for arraignment at the Southwest Justice Center.
