Cyclist snatches purse from 80-year-old woman; gut-wrenching security video goes viral

In a shocking incident, an 80-year-old woman was robbed by a cyclist in Niles last week.
The crime scene was caught on a security camera installed in the area.

The suspect snatched the purse of the elderly victim on a BMX-style bike. The incident took place on April 14 just outside the Methodist Church parking lot on the south side of Cedar Street east of Third Street, according to a report from WNDU.

The 80-year-old woman suffered injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

ALso Read: Armed robber snatches gold chain from 78-year-old woman; know what happens next

Many business owners, like Al Casperson and Jim Morris, left distraught after knowing about the incident.

“Would you do that to your grandmother? What would you do to somebody who did that to your grandmother? And it just - it’s nonsensical. Yet, as I said, I don’t even have words for it,” said Casperson, owner of Casperson’s Books.

Morris, who owns Jim’s Smokin’ Cafe, had this to say: “Yeah, it’s just ridiculous. I saw it when it first came out and hit online. I’m dumbfounded.”

The CCTV footage showed how badly the accused man snatched the purse from the elderly woman as she fell while saving her purse from the cyclist.

When she fell, the suspect jumped off the bike and ripped the purse from the woman.

The man then took off the bike and abandoned the woman on the street.

Meanwhile, the Niles Police Department is investigating the matter and trying to locate the suspect, who was described only as a black male in his late teens or early 20s.

Also Read: 22-year-old girl beats woman, snatches her mobile phone; incident caught on camera