UPDATE @ 8:30 p.m.: The man accused of snatching a purse at a Kroger store was arrested after police found him hiding near the store's employee break room, Dayton Sgt. Steven Bauer said.
The accused, believed to be in his 30s, was tackled by the good Samaritan the victim identified as an off-duty Dayton firefighter. Bauer said the assailant dropped a knife during the scuffle, which occurred near the store’s front entrance.
The suspect ran at that point, Bauer said, and the good Samaritan waited near the front entrance for police.
Police were dispatched to the store, in the 1550 block of Wayne Avenue, on a report of a fight in progress, with one male armed with a knife, Bauer said.
The “good Samaritan saved the day,” the sergeant said.
FIRST REPORT
A man accused of snatching a purse at a Kroger store tonight is in custody thanks to the actions of a good Samaritan.
Dayton police detained the man not long after the 76-year-old victim said he took her purse and then was involved in a scuffle at the store, in the 1500 block of Wayne Avenue, with another man she said was an off-duty Dayton firefighter.
The victim, JoAnne, said she didn’t realize anyone had grabbed her purse until she saw the scuffle.
The firefighter, who left the scene not long after the incident, held the accused down until police arrived, the woman said. Police corroborated the woman’s account and also didn’t have the firefighter’s name.
A knife was produced during the scuffle, according to the woman and police. It is not immediately clear whether the accused pulled the knife or whether it fell from a pocket.
No injuries were reported from the incident reported just after 7 p.m.
According to police, the accused is being taken to the Montgomery County Jail where he will detained pending the filing of an aggravated robbery charge.
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