Police hunt for serial bag snatcher
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Police hunt for serial bag snatcher
– Tuesday, 16 September 2008
WANTED: An identikit picture of a man wanted for questioning about a series of bag snatches in Auckland.
A middle-aged white man with a receding hairline and bad teeth is believed to be snatching the bags of elderly women in Auckland.
In the latest two incidents that occurred within minutes of each other yesterday at 11.
Police say five bag snatches in the eastern suburbs were probably carried out by one man using a car stolen from Grey Lynn last Friday afternoon.30am in Mission Bay and Remuera, two women in their 80s were targeted and one – an 87 year-old – was hospitalised with a large gash to her right forearm.15am and 11.
He pulled her right arm into the car in order to grab the bag from her shoulder and in so doing, caused her to cut her forearm on the driver's window.
The woman had her hand bag snatched from her as she leant towards the driver of a car who had asked her for directions to Meadowbank.
Fifteen minutes later an 80 year-old woman who was sitting at a bus stop on Remuera Rd was approached by a man who asked her for directions.
He made off with a navy blue cloth bag that contained a small umbrella, sunglasses and a small floral purse with some $10 and $5 notes in it.
Police say the man is a 35 to 40 year-old caucasian of medium build with tanned skin and short, light-brown hair. When she placed her handbag on the seat he grabbed it and left in a car heading towards Newmarket.
Police believe he was using a silver, 2001 Mazda 626 sedan GLX that was stolen at about 3pm on Friday, September 12.
He has a receding hairline and discoloured teeth and sports a tattoo on his upper left bicep.15pm, Lillington Rd, Remuera; a 37 year-old woman was threatened with a claw hammer and had her bag taken from her as she walked to a nearby school to collect her child.
Other snatches attributed to the man were on:
* September 12 – 4. He then took her bag and drove off.
* September 13 – 7pm, Great South Rd, Greenlane; a 30 year-old woman was approached by a man who had alighted from a silver car and asked her for the time.49am, St Vincent Ave, Remuera; 54 year-old woman is at a bus stop near Carmont St when a silver car pulls alongside and the man inside asks for directions to Meadowbank.
* September 15 – 11. He released the bag and drove away.
He got out of the car and lunged for her handbag and, while holding onto the straps, drives off with the woman running alongside, screaming.