Woman Returns To South End Crime Scene, Boston Police Arrest Her

BOSTON, MA — When a woman accused of stealing someone's purse at knifepoint outside a CVS in the South End returned to the store to find a cell phone she dropped, police arrested her.

On Sunday at 8:03 p.m. someone called police to report a woman came into the store, pushed an older woman down and stole her purse and ran off.

A Good Samaritan was able to locate and recover the stolen purse a short distance away on the Arlington Street overpass bridge, and police officers found a brown-handled knife which had been discarded by the suspect directly in front of the store, according to the report.

But that wasn't all, say police.

A short time later, while officers and detectives were on scene continuing their investigation, the woman police believed had stolen the purse came back to the scene of the crime in an attempt to find her own cell phone which she had apparently dropped during the incident.

The suspect, now identified as Mary Gallas, 37, of Boston, was placed in custody without incident. The suspect’s cell phone was located on scene by the officers.

Gallas is scheduled to appear in Boston Municipal Court on charges of Armed Robbery (Victim Over 65 Years of Age) and Assault and Battery (Victim Over 65 Years of Age).

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File Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch