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Alleged purse snatcher caught after police release clear images

Posted at 6:34 PM, Aug 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-24 18:35:06-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Late Wednesday afternoon, police said they caught a 15-year-old purse snatching suspect. The capture happened within hours of Grand Rapids police releasing clear surveillance images.

The robbery happened on July 8th in Downtown Grand Rapids. Police released an image then that wasn't very clear. A detective with the Major Case Unit checked with area businesses and agencies and discovered the clearer images which were taken at a Rapid bus station and inside a bus.

GRPD said the purse snatching happened near the Blue Bridge in a parking ramp around 6:50 a.m. The woman was headed to work at the JW Marriot. Police said she noticed the guy watching her. She became nervous, but the suspect moved quickly and grabbed her in a chokehold. She tried to fight him off, but police said he punched her in the face. She fell, and he ran away with the purse.

Police released the images to news media and hoped it would lead to someone recognizing and reporting the suspect.

"Technology is a very useful tool for us, especially in the advancement of technology. Photographs, images are getting sharper, clearer. We can get a better detail of an individual's face in an effort to identify that particular person," Sergeant Terry Dixon said.

The next step for the teen is juvenile court where he will await charges.