Police are searching for suspects after a woman on a scooter had her purse ripped from her at a red light in Miami in a crime that was caught on camera.
Shocking video captured a thief stealing a woman's purse as she sat on a scooter at a red light in Miami last month, and now police are searching for the suspects responsible.
The crime happened on Saturday, Feb. 18, shortly after 2 a.m. at the intersection of Northwest 19th Avenue and Northwest 28th Street.
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Surveillance video captured the moment the victims were riding a scooter and stopped at a red light at that intersection.
The video then shows a suspect get out of a newer model, silver Hyundai Elantra, run up to the victims, and grab the woman's purse.
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The video captured the moment the woman struggled to hold on to her purse, but the suspect overpowered her and fled with it.
The suspect is then seen trying to get back in the vehicle and ran off as the car drove off on Northwest 18th Avenue. The victim is seen chasing the suspects' vehicle but could not catch up.
"You see the victim fall to the ground and hit her head. Thank God she wasn’t seriously hurt but it could have turned fatal," Miami Police spokesman Michael Vega said. "We believe he’s done it before and is probably going to do it again. We need the public’s help in identifying him and helping us capture this brazen bandit."
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Detectives are seeking the public’s help to find the three suspects responsible and described one of the suspects as a tall Black male who was seen wearing a gray hooded sweater and black pants.
Officials did not release any information on the other two suspects.
Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact the Miami Police Department’s Robbery Unit at (305) 603-6370 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471- TIPS.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered, if the tip leads to an arrest.
