This guy doubled-down on his mini crime spree in the 700 block of Soquel Ave. Video images recently became available, so we are hoping someone recognizes him. This is him as he is preparing to steal the bicycle prior to the attempt purse snatch.
On
March 6th, at approx. 12:30 PM, our suspect stole a bicycle from the storage area of a
business in the 700 block of Soquel Ave.
After calmly stealing the bicycle, he began his test ride heading
eastbound on Soquel Avenue.
The
test ride of his newly stolen bicycle was momentarily put on hold as our
suspect found his attention diverted by a 58 year old woman walking on the
sidewalk and carrying a purse. Unable to
resist the temptation, the suspect attempted a purse theft “rodeo style” while
still astride on the bicycle.
In the course of attempting to take the purse,
our suspect struck the victim in the back.
Thankfully, our victim was able to retain her purse as our suspect rode
away. She has some scrapes and bruises, but otherwise OK.
Three
cheers for our victim fighting back and thwarting this Desperado.
The
bicycle is described as a grey Schwinn street bicycle with thin tires &
wheels. The bike has a modified seat
post using aluminum cans as a spacer for the seat post.
He
is still out there and may be sporting that stolen bicycle. If anyone recognizes him, we’d appreciate a
tip. You can call Officer Leo Gomez, or
our Investigations Unit at (831) 420-5820, or you can submit an anonymous tip
via our Website (www.santacruzpolice.com), smartphone app, or text-a-tip. If you see him cruising around town, you can
call 9-1-1 and report him.
