Woman let go of purse during struggle with young suspect at The Market Common

A 58-year-old woman told police she let go of her purse during a struggle with a young-looking suspect for fear of being dragged to the ground.

Myrtle Beach police were called about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to 4016 Deville Street at The Market Common. The victim told officers she was headed to the movie theater when the suspect, who looked to be about 14 or 15, ripped her purse from her arm, according to a police report.

She said she tried to hang on to her purse, but let go before being pulled to the ground. The suspect then made off with the bag containing, $50, credit cards, and the victim’s car keys, the report states.

The responding officer remembered a suspect who was in court that morning matching the description of the suspect the victim gave, and a property ambassador also told authorities he saw someone matching that description.

The property ambassador was shown a photo of the person the officer recalled seeing in court and said he looked like the same person he saw there earlier, police said.

Authorities began assembling a photo lineup for the victim, who police said would be shown the collection once it was ready. Officers noted the investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published June 22, 2017 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Woman let go of purse during struggle with young suspect at The Market Common."