Police are searching for a suspect who stole an 82-year-old woman's purse and then went on a shopping spree with her credit cards.
The theft happened Tuesday morning at a Ralphs in Burbank, and surveillance video captured the brazen act as the thief snuck up behind the woman and snatched the purse from her electric scooter when she wasn't looking.
The victim had placed the purse on the floorboard of the scooter she was using to get around the store, but when she looked away and reached for something on a shelf, the suspect grabbed the purse and took off, said Burbank Police Department Sgt. Derek Green.
"That's awful, picking on old people like that, why would you want to do that?" asked Lonny Craig, a Burbank resident who watched the video of the crime.
Police are hoping the public helps them find the female suspect, who they said ended up ditching the purse but used the credit cards at a Target and Lowe's to the tune of $2,500.
The people of Burbank seem eager to help. "She's a terrible person," said resident Joanne Patterson. "Picking on the elderly is the worst thing you can do."
