Surveillance Video Appears to Show Purse Picked at Plano Restaurant

It's something almost every woman does without a second thought.

Now, Plano police are warning diners not to leave purses hanging on the backs of chairs.

Surveillance video at the Blue Goose Cantina on West Park Boulevard in Plano shows a man and a woman sitting at a table Saturday night after 8 p.m. The man then uses his jacket to conceal his arm and it appears he reaches into a purse hanging on a chair behind him.

"I normally just sling it over the back of the seat and I don't even think about it,” customer Mack Abernathy said.

On camera, it looks as if the man’s hand is in the purse for 20 seconds without anyone noticing. Police say the duo walks out with the woman’s wallet.

“I always do it and I’m going to think about that now, from now on,” Plano resident Edith Dagostino said.

Police say you should never leave your purse hanging on the back of your chair. They suggest placing it on top of the table or putting it between your feet when you sit down, someplace where you'll realize it if someone starts to snoop.

Earlier this year, NBC 5 told you about a string of purse snatchings at restaurants along the Preston Road corridor. All were draped over the backs of chairs.

Surveillance cameras caught a woman using the stolen credit cards.

“There are some similarities with the female that we dealt with back in April for committing similar incidents along Preston Road at some restaurants,” Plano Police Officer David Tilley said.

Now detectives are trying to figure out if the cases are connected.

Meantime, diners say seeing how thieves work will prevent the same thing from happening to them.

“I definitely won’t be doing that anymore,” Abernathy said.

Police are asking anyone who recognizes the people in the video or photos to call their tipline at 972-941-5555.