A $5,000 reward was being offered by a South Bay couple for information leading to the arrest of a man caught on camera stealing a purse with $12,000 in cash and a six-carat diamond ring from a car outside a liquor store.
The man can be seen on camera passing by a vehicle outside the Glory Liquor Store on Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington at approximately 10:30 p.m. Saturday night.
He can be seen opening the door and grabbing the purse, which belongs to the liquor store owner.
Maha Hanna, the owner, said it was a busy day of running errands for her new store, which she and her husband had just purchased a few months ago.
Hanna meant to put the cash and the ring into a safety deposit box at the bank, but explained, she forgot.
In between unloading supplies from her car to the store, Hanna said she didn't realize she left her car doors unlocked. She had placed the diamond ring inside a zippered pouch in her purse.
"My previous husband just bought it to me as a gift before he passed away," she said of the ring. "It just means a lot to me. That's something that will never come back.
"I feel my stomach hurt. I felt I was violated."
The suspect was last seen riding in a black Dodge Ram pick up truck in the Wilmington area Saturday night.
Detectives urge witnesses to contact them at 31353@lapd.online
