ST. CLAIR SHORES (WWJ) — A 60-year-old Detroit man is in police custody after allegedly robbing a woman in a Kroger parking lot and then stealing another person’s car.
It all unfolded shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Friday at the Kroger on Harper near the intersection of 9 Mile, according to St. Clair Shores police.
Authorities say the suspect approached a 64-year-old woman when she got out of her car in the parking lot and grabbed her purse. The suspect and victim struggled over the purse before a bystander came to help the woman, police officials said.
The suspect ultimately fled with a separate bag the woman was also carrying.
He then got into the driver’s door of a second victim’s running car. A 61-year-old St. Clair Shores man was in the front passenger seat.
Police officials say the suspect threatened to hurt the victim and took off driving south on Harper with the man still inside.
About a mile down the road, the suspect pulled into a Mobil gas station in the area of Harper and 8 Mile. There, a struggle ensued between the victim and suspect, who eventually ran from the scene, according to police.
Authorities soon found the suspect inside the Walgreens next to the gas station and arrested him.
While police did not report any injuries during the incident, witnesses told WWJ's Darrylin Horne the suspect had a bloody face when he got out of the vehicle near the gas station.
Officials have not said whether the two victims were connected
Police are still investigating and searching for evidence. Authorities are asking anyone who knows something about the robbery and carjacking to call the St. Clair Shores Police Department Detective Bureau at 586-445-5305.