With the help of a gutsy pizza shop employee, Seattle police were able to catch up to a robber and return a stolen purse this morning, all in about 30 minutes or less.
Officer Enoch Lee was driving near Holman Road and 7th Avenue NW around 12:45 AM when he spotted a man sprinting down the street while clutching a purse.
Officer Lee then heard a woman screaming “he just robbed me” as she pointed to the fleeing suspect.
As the suspect fled on foot, Officer Lee pulled his patrol car alongside the man and shouted for him to stop.
Instead, the suspect kept on running, dashing through a shopping center parking lot, where he took a spill and ducked behind a parked car.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, the suspect tried to run off but was “taken down,” according to Officer Lee, by a pizza shop employee, who had spotted the police chase outside his shop.
Officers arrested the suspect and recovered the victim’s purse and cellphone. A short time later, a witness approached officers and pointed out a vehicle they believed was the suspect’s getaway car.
When officers approached the vehicle, they noticed two young men slouched down in their car seats.
Police booked the purse snatcher into the Youth Service Center for investigation of robbery, and released the two other young men after identifying and interviewing them at the North Precinct.
Officers referred the case to robbery detectives for investigation.