A 13-year-old boy is accused of stealing a woman’s purse and hitting her in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday, an incident that has disturbed neighbors.
The incident happened at the Rite Aid pharmacy in the 2600 block of Southwest Barton Street, Fox 13 reported Wednesday. Resident Tary Nelson told the outlet, “The whole idea of them being so young — that’s what really is painful to listen to. It really is.”
Law enforcement said that when officers arrived at the scene, the victim informed them a worker had confronted several teenagers who allegedly did not pay for the items they picked up inside the store.
The victim also reportedly spoke up about those allegations, the Fox article continued:
The woman stated to law enforcement that one of the teens approached her and forcibly took her purse before making a dash towards the pharmacy exit. In pursuit, she managed to catch up to him at the entrance. However, she reported that the teenager then grabbed her shirt and forcefully threw her to the ground. Despite her attempts to chase after him, the situation escalated when he allegedly struck her multiple times in the face.
The teen suspect, along with the group, fled eastbound on Southwest Barton Street. The victim contacted the authorities, leading officers to locate the suspect and two other teenagers near 18th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Barton Street.
When speaking of the victim, Nelson said, “She was very bold to go after them. I would have never done something like that.”
Video footage shows several people picking up the woman’s belongings that fell out of her bag. However, those individuals then walk away from the scene. The clip also shows the teenager allegedly punching the woman in the face, according to Inside Edition.
When police officers find and confront the teenager, they tell him he is under arrest for robbery. “Robbery?” he asks them. Moments later, he tries to run from the police, who eventually handcuff him as he lies on the ground:
The outlet noted that two other individuals with the suspect were released.
Officials booked the 13-year-old into the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center on suspicion of robbery.
A Seattle Times/Suffolk University poll conducted in June found that one-third of Seattle residents were considering leaving the area for good due to home prices and rampant crime, Breitbart News reported in July.
“Out of the respondents who report wanting to move, 80 percent rate the city poorly as a place to live, and 66 percent report feeling unsafe in their neighborhood,” the article said.