NASHVILLE — An 89-year-old woman thwarted a robbery with sheer will when she refused to give her purse to a man flashing a gun in her face, according to investigators in Middle Tennessee.
It happened Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Richland Park Farmers Market in Nashville, and detectives say the same man is linked to the robbery of a Vanderbilt University student earlier that day.
“The 89-year-old victim had just walked back to her vehicle on Park Avenue … when a man opened the door to her SUV and demanded her purse while showing a pistol tucked into his waistband,” the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a news release. “The victim refused to comply and said to him, ‘Why are you doing this? I’m 89 years old.’ The area was full of people at the time and the suspect walked away.”
A search led police to a 42-year-old man who was captured in a foot chase. A witness reported seeing him toss a gun away during the chase, resulting in police finding a 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol, officials said. The gun had been reported stolen in a nearby city.
The man was arrested and charged with: Attempted aggravated robbery Gun theft Gun possession in the commission of a dangerous felony Evading arrest He is also suspected of robbing a 20-year-old Vanderbilt University student earlier Saturday, police said. “The victim told Vanderbilt Police that a man approached her from behind, put a gun to her back and demanded her belongings. The victim gave the man $70 and he fled,” police said.
“Surveillance footage showed that the clothing worn by the man matched that of (the man) from the latter case.” He has been charged with aggravated robbery of the student, police said. Bond was set at $110,000 in the two cases.
By MARK PRICE/Miami Herald
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