Police make arrest after multiple purse snatchings

Three purse snatchings in Kelowna led police to one suspect.

On September 29, RCMP received a call from a 76-year-old woman saying her purse had been stolen from a shopping cart while unloading groceries in the parking lot in the 1900 block of Kane Road in Kelowna. Surveillance video was available which showed a male suspect responsible for the theft.

Then on October 1, RCMP received a call from an 83-year-old woman reporting her purse had been stolen as she was walking home from the grocery store along Drysdale Blvd. An unknown male grabbed her purse which was sitting on top of her grocery bag and ran away.

A third offence occurred on October 2, when a 67-year-old woman reported she had her purse stolen in the 2200 block of Baron Road while loading groceries into her vehicle. An unknown male walked up, grabbed her purse and ran away. The victim attempted to chase the male but he managed to elude her.

All three victims described a similar suspect as a white male in his 20s who was thin, medium height and wearing a reddish sweater and used a grey pick up truck to flee the scene.

Using the description, police were able to identify a 27-yeard old Kelowna man who officers believe is responsible for all three offences. The male suspect has been arrested and is facing several chargers including theft under $5000 and possession of stolen property.

“This individual waited to prey on some of our community’s senior members while they were alone, going about their daily lives,” said Constable Mike Della-Paolera. “Our frontline members were able to track him down quickly, making an arrest and taking him off the streets before he could attempt to target another potential victim.”