Girl seen on digital camera in Seattle purse-snatching incident says she fears for her security

Victim in purse snatch incident speaks out

A local restaurant owner says the suspects who stole her purse moved like professional thieves.

SEATTLE, wash. – – For the first time, a victim of a series of thefts against Asian women reports.

The victim now fears for her safety and identifies only as Ann.

Ann is a local restaurant owner and said shopping at local Asian markets is part of her daily routine.

At the moment, she has no plans to return to Lam’s Seafood Market in Seattle, where her bag was stolen on April 28th and was the target of an attempted theft just two weeks earlier.

“Well, I’ll never go back there. I’m scared you know. It happened to me twice. I may not go back for a long time,” Ann said. “They look like professionals. They are fast, they are fast.”

A manager at Lam’s Seafood Market said the neighborhood is generally safe and, since the theft incidents over the past few weeks, the company has been on the lookout for suspicious activity and leading customers to their vehicles upon request.

Ann said her bag contained $ 800 in cash, her iPhone, debit card, medication, driver’s license, and some pictures of her grandchildren. She said her bag alone was worth several hundred dollars.

CONNECTED:: Man accused of stealing wallets from more than a dozen women in Seattle neighborhoods

“We have to put it down, you know, because it’s not safe. It’s scary,” said Ann. “You could have guns. You could have guns. Who knows.”

Seattle police made an arrest Tuesday, saying the suspect was a 26-year-old convicted criminal who was found with a loaded gun.

The suspect is charged with stealing for 31 days and, according to court documents, they target victims who are mostly elderly Asian women in the parking lot of Asian markets.

Investigators reviewed 14 cases of theft and robbery between April 8 and May 11, including Ann’s case.

The suspect will appear in court again on Friday afternoon. His security deposit is $ 250,000.

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