A man wanted over a shocking bag snatch in which a pensioner was dragged to the ground has been arrested after West Midlands Police traced him to an address in Smethwick this morning (3 Feb).
When Police released footage of the attack, thousands of people shared an appeal (including ourselves) to find the male responsible via social media.
And in a prime example of the police and local communities working together to bring violent offenders to justice, the appeal worked!
Officers from West Midlands Police confirmed (3rd Feb) that they had moved in on a property in Rawlings Road at
Police also confirmed that the male is now being questioned about the attack on a 93-year-old woman in Bromford Gardens, Edgbaston, on 24 January in which a man pulled the pensioner to the floor before making off with her handbag.
Sergeant Pete Sandhu from the Edgbaston Neighbourhood
He said:
“People were understandably disgusted at what they saw in the video: a frail lady, using a walking stick, was attacked from behind and had her handbag torn from her grip.
“It’s a violent, callous offence on a vulnerable lady. Thankfully she wasn’t seriously hurt but the longer term impact of incidents like this – such as damaging the victim’s confidence and reassurance – can be very significant.
“A member of the public contacted us with the name of a likely suspect and, using other police intelligence, it led us to an address in Smethwick today where a man was detained.”
A spokesperson for the force said
“Information from the public is vital in the fight against crime; West Midlands Police takes community intelligence very seriously and will act swiftly on information provided.
To contact us call 101 or Live Chat online via the WMP website. To speak anonymously to someone people can call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111″.
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