(WWJ) A 26-year-old Sterling Heights man is facing charges in a purse snatching scheme outside a grocery store in Troy.
According to police, the victim was pushing a grocery cart to her car in the parking lot of the Kroger on John R Rd., the afternoon of Dec. 28, when she was nearly hit by a red Ford Focus backing out of a space.
As the 46-year-old woman got to her vehicle, the driver of the car that almost hit her pulled alongside her cart and began apologizing.
Then suddenly, police said, the man grabbed the woman's purse from her cart and sped away.
"When we investigated, it looked like he'd been watching her all along, and setting her up for this," Police Sgt. Meghan Lehman said.
The woman wasn't injured.
The victim's purse contained cash, personal items and her credit cards, which were used by the suspect at various gas stations several hours after they were stolen, police said.
Troy Police investigators identified the suspect, whose license plate was visible on surveillance cameras, and arrested him the next day.
Charges, including fraudulent use of a financial transaction device and driving while license suspended, are pending.
