Woman In 60s Knocked Down During Daytime Purse Snatching: Police

AUSTIN, TX — Police in Austin are asking the public for help identifying a man they say assaulted a woman while trying to steal her purse in broad daylight earlier this month in Capital Plaza.

The victim, a woman in her 60s, was sitting on a park bench around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 when a man came up and grabbed her purse, Austin police said in a news release.

When the woman tried to fight back, the man pulled her from the park bench, and she fell to the ground, police said.

Two employees at a nearby store ran to help the woman, and the man fled in a silver Ford sedan.

Police said the woman was taken to an area hospital, where she was evaluated for injuries.

The man is described as Hispanic with a thin build and facial hair. Standing approximately 5-feet tall, he was last seen wearing a dark zip-up hoodie, a dark shirt, blue jeans and black tennis shoes.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Austin Police Department robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092 or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS.

Tips can also be submitted online using the Crime Stoppers website, the Crime Stoppers app or the Austin PD mobile app, available on iPhone and Android.

Tipsters could be eligible for an award of up to $1,000, police said.