ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul family took matters into their own hands to get justice after a grandmother was robbed of her purse at a laundromat Thursday morning, according to the St. Paul Police Department.
At 10:46 a.m. police responded to a laundromat in the 700 block of N. Milton Street where they learned a woman stole a purse out of the arms of a 92-year-old grandmother and ran off.
The grandmother's 73-year-old daughter tried running after the reported thief but couldn't catch up. An officer worked with the 92-year-old to cancel her credit cards.
Nine hours later, St. Paul police received a 911 call that the grandmother's family found the suspected thief, and she was detained in an apartment building near the laundromat. When officers arrived, they found the grandmother's relatives inside the apartment with the suspect.
Police learned the 92-year-old's grand-daughter waited out in a nearby parking lot, hoping to see the suspect. Hours later, she saw the woman and called her family to help detain the alleged thief.
The St. Paul Police Department does not recommend this strategy, but appeared impressed by the family's dedication.
Police say while the suspect denied stealing the purse, the woman had items belonging to the grandmother. Officers arrested her.