Witness Thwarts Route 40 Purse Snatching

A 43-year-old woman robbed on Nov. 11 at a Route 40 bus stop would have been worse off had it not been for the prompt and decisive action of a witness, according to a police report.

At around 9:48 a.m., the woman, a resident of the 500 block of Charing Cross Rd., was approached by her ex-boyfriend at a bus stop near Route 40 and Coleridge Road, the report said.

The ex-boyfriend assaulted the victim, took her purse, and began to get away, according to police. A witness stopped the suspect, who dropped the purse and fled the scene on foot, the report said.

The purse was returned to the victim, according to the police report. Charges are pending against the suspect, a 50-year resident of the 1000 block of Baltimore St. in the city, the report said.