Elderly Woman Pushed, Robbed In South Sacramento Supermarket Parking Lot

SOUTH SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Surveillance video shows an elderly woman pulled to the ground as a suspect tries to grab her purse outside a South Sacramento Asian supermarket.

The 73-year-old woman is recovering from minor injuries and is now home from the hospital. Her family said she was walking in the parking lot at People Market, located on Stockton Boulevard, on Friday when a man asked her for money. They say she politely said she didn't have any, and that's when the man—who had allegedly been following her—got aggressive.

The video shows that after pulling her to the ground, the suspect ran away with her purse.

"It's hard. It's hard seeing her like that," said her son, Tien. He's angry at the thought of his mother being preyed upon. "I'm a little upset right now - just pretty speechless at times."

Tien and his sister, Marilyn Powell, are sharing the surveillance video in hopes someone may recognize the person behind the crime.

"I just don't want him on the streets stealing and hurting people like that," said Powell, who lives in San Diego.

She shares the same concern for her mother.

"How can you treat other people that way?" Powell asked. "I just wish I was there with her."

Powell said she knows her mother is dealing with more than just minor injuries - especially after recently getting over an illness and finally feeling comfortable leaving the house.

"She's just emotionally drained cause everything," Powell said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office has a detective assigned to the case. They plan to check other nearby businesses for surveillance video because they don't have a clear description of the suspect yet.

Both the family and law enforcement say they do not believe the crime was racially motivated, just simply a crime of opportunity.