88-Year-Old Latest Victim In String of FW Robberies

An 88-year-old woman is the latest victim in a string of robberies that have involved elderly residents in Fort Worth, police said Thursday.

Fighting back tears, the woman, who did not want to be identified, said her purse was snatched on Wednesday "in broad daylight" at the southwest Fort Worth senior citizens complex she lives in near Hulen Mall.

"It's the most hurtful thing I've been through in my life, other than losing my husband," she said.

She said she had just returned from the Fiesta Grocery store on Eighth Avenue and was trying to park her car in a handicapped space when the person grabbed her purse and took off running to a getaway car.

The woman said she was knocked to the ground and suffered some minor injuries.

"I would've hit them with my pepper spray, except it was on my keychain, and the keys were still in the ignition," she said.

She said it happened so fast she couldn't even tell police if it was a man or woman who robbed her.

Fort Worth police said there have been at least 11 strong-arm-type robberies of elderly victims in Fort Worth since September.

"This is a very frustrating case, but we are determined to find these cowards and expose their darkness to the light through jailhouse bars," Lt. Paul Henderson said.

The woman said the thief stole all of her credit cards, her driver's license and checkbook. The thief apparently tried to charge $77 in gasoline on one of the victim's credit cards at a nearby convenience store 20 minutes after the robbery, police said.

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