KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The Grand Rapids Police Department is reporting a 10th purse snatching incident in a string of stolen handbags across Kent County.
Sergeant Dan Adams with the department says the incident happened Monday, June 28 at a local Meijer. That follows a trend of purses taken from women over 50 years old shopping alone.
Kent County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Joy Matthews says the suspects are grabbing women's bags out of shopping carts at big box stores when they're loading up groceries into their cars.
"Unfortunately, sometimes we let our guard down and aren't aware of our surroundings," she says. "It only takes a split second for someone to reach in our purse and grab our wallets or our cell phones."
The Grand Rapids, Kentwood and Wyoming police departments, along with the Sheriff's Office, are reporting that the series of purse snatchings started June 13. Each incident occurred during the daytime.
Sergeant Matthews says in their reports, hundreds of dollars have been stolen so far. In one instance, one woman tried to take her purse back from the suspect, but she couldn't. She fell down and hurt her hand.
"Nothing you have property-wise is worth you getting hurt or losing your life over," she says.
Instead, Sergeant Matthews suggests women keep their purses close while in the store or parking lots, and put it away first before loading groceries.
"One thing we always recommend too is to always park near other people and park in well-lit areas if you're out at night," she says. "If you're uncomfortable walking out to your car, ask an employee to watch you walk out or walk out with you."
Police have released the photos of the suspects they believe are involved, as well as a vehicle.
"We want to get them off the streets as badly as the victims do," Sergeant Matthews says.
Related video:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.