San Jose Shoppers: Clutch Your Clutch a Little Tighter
Thursday, Jul 23, 2009 | Updated 11:15 AM PDT
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Keep close contact with your purse as you head out to your favorite shopping spot in the South Bay.
If you're planning a shopping trip in San Jose anytime soon, make sure you clutch your purse a little tighter.
Police say serial purse snatcher is responsible for several recent robberies in San Jose -- the latest at Valley Fair Mall.
The recent grab happened at about 1 p.m. on June 29 in a parking garage at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall. Several other robberies in other parts of the city have been linked to the same thief.
Investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying the man, who is considered armed and dangerous.
Police on Wednesday released a sketch of the suspect and a photo of the car in which he fled after the robberies. Witnesses say he is his 20s, around 5 feet 10 inches tall, and wore a baseball cap when he committed the crimes.
The clutch bandit fled in a black mid- to late-90s Volkswagen Jetta driven by another person, witnesses say. The Jetta had a spoiler mounted on the trunk and a single antenna in the middle of the roof above the rear window, police said.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact San Jose police Detective Jon Atkinson at 408-277-4166. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP.
A cash reward is being offered for information, police said.
