St. Paul Police Share Video Of Shopper Robbed And Dragged By Car

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- St. Paul police have shared a disturbing video showing a female shopper being robbed and, after a struggle, being dragged by a car.

According to police, the robbery incident took place at around 5:20 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15 at a market on the 1000 block of Johnson Parkway.

"We need to find them because this is a very scary situation. We've got a lot of people out on the streets shopping," St. Paul Police Department spokesman Steve Linders said.

A woman had just finished shopping and was putting stuff in her trunk outside Hmong Village on Sunday afternoon. That's when a thief jumped out of a stolen car and grabbed her purse, which was still wrapped around her arm.

She was dragged for about 75 yards, but wasn't seriously injured.

Evan Kue had just finished shopping at the Village with his aunt and hadn't seen the video yet.

"People are crazy, you know. I don't know what their intentions are. That bothers me. I mean, she's just an innocent bystander," he said.

As disturbing as the video is to watch, St. Paul Police believe this isn't an isolated incident.

"Over the last month, we've had 20 robberies that have the same characteristics," Linders said.

The victims have all been women, 40 and older, and have been alone and carrying purses or bags when the robbery happened. The suspects sneak up behind them, rip away their purses or bags, and then they disappear, either running or driving away in a stolen car.

"What we've seen ... is when the victim fights back, the suspects will hit them or threaten them or (suggest) that they have a gun," Linders said.

Police are urging residents to be aware of their surroundings while out shopping. If you're carrying a purse, keep it under your jacket or don't carry one at all.

All of the cars used in these crimes were stolen while they were running unattended. Last week alone, 38 cars were stolen in St. Paul while they were left running outside.

If you have any information on these crimes, call St. Paul Police at 651-266-5650.