Woman dragged 75 yards by car in St. Paul after thief snatches purse

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A woman is expected to recover after she was dragged 75 yards after police say someone snatched her purse and took off in a car.

According to police, the woman had just finished shopping around 5:20 p.m. on Sunday at a market on the 1000 block of Johnson Parkway in St. Paul when the crooks pulled up in a dark blue 2017 Hyundai Elantra.

Officers say the victim was putting her belongings into the trunk of her car when the thief hopped out of the vehicle, grabbed her purse, and got back in the car.

The driver then took off, but police say the victim's arm got caught in the strap and she was pulled by the sedan. The woman ended up being dragged by the vehicle for 75 yards.

Police say the woman was thankfully not seriously hurt. But, officers are now searching for the suspects. They are asking anyone with information on the crime to call 651-266-5650.

St. Paul police say the theft is just one of 20 similar robbery reports since November 20.

Each time, police say the suspects have targeted women in their 40s or older who are alone and carrying purses. Typically, police say the suspects have snuck up behind the victims and ripped the purses away. If the victims resist, police say the suspects have hit them or threatened them with weapons.

Sometimes they have run away on foot. Other times they've driven away in stolen cars. Wednesday night alone, police received two reports of purse-snatchings like this.