Investigators from Fruitport Township Police Department are working with investigators from Norton Shores Police Department to determine if the suspect and vehicle involved in two armed robberies in Norton Shores early this morning (https://local.nixle.com/alert/5201785/) may be the same suspect and vehicle involved in an early evening purse snatching a few days ago.
At approximately 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, 05/18/2014, Fruitport Township Police Department responded to a purse snatching which took place in the Walmart (1879 E. Sherman, Fruitport Township) parking lot.
A male subject, wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt with a bandana covering his face, approached the female victim in the parking lot. The victim was unloading groceries from a shopping cart into her vehicle. The male subject approached from behind in a tan SUV style vehicle – believed to be a Chevrolet Blazer. The male subject quickly exited the vehicle, grabbed the victim’s purse from the cart, and got back into the vehicle.
The victim struggled with the male subject briefly in an attempt to recover her purse, but the male subject was able to get away with the purse. The victim was not injured in the incident.
Surveillance videos were reviewed, and the attached images are being released to the public in an effort to generate tips regarding the identity and location of the offender.
Anyone with information relating to this incident is encouraged to contact Fruitport Township Police Department at (231) 865-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Muskegon County Silent Observer by calling (231) 72-CRIME or by submitting the tip electronically by following this link: http://www.silentobservermuskegon.com/
No further information is being released by police at this time.
