Police arrest 16-year-old suspected of purse snatching in Gig Harbor
A 16-year-old suspected of snatching purses in Gig Harbor was arrested Friday, according to a Gig Harbor Police Department Facebook post.
A string of purse-snatching incidents hit Gig Harbor on Dec. 9, 11 and 12, The News Tribune reported. All three happened in grocery store parking lots, and happened to women in their 70s and older.
Police have identified the 16-year-old as a suspect in the incidents on Dec. 9 and 11, according to the post.
On Dec. 9, the suspect allegedly approached a 77-year-old woman walking through the parking lot of a grocery store in the 5000 block of Point Fosdick Dr. and pulled a purse from her shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground and suffer 'significant facial injuries and a broken nose,' the post said.
On Dec. 11, the suspect allegedly jumped out of a vehicle and grabbed a purse from an 80-year-old woman's grocery cart as she was loading items into her vehicle outside a grocery store in the 4800 block of Point Fosdick Dr., according to the post. The suspect allegedly left with the purse after a struggle.
Officers arrested the suspect on suspicion of robbery for both incidents, and on suspicion of financial fraud for using the victim's credit cards after the first incident, the post said.
Police haven't linked the suspect to the Dec. 12 incident, in which someone stole a 73-year-old woman's purse in the parking lot of a grocery store in the 10900 block of Harbor Hill Dr., but are working to do so using forensic evidence, according to the post.
Gig Harbor Police detectives worked with investigators from other agencies including the Bellevue and Renton Police Departments to make the arrest. The suspect was booked into the King County Juvenile Detention Facility on suspicion of other crimes in King County.
Police have also identified a second suspect who was allegedly using one of the victim's credit cards, according to the post.
'We are working to determine the extent of his involvement in these crimes,' the post said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

31 minutes ago
Hong Kong police accuse a mobile game app of promoting armed revolution
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong police on Tuesday accused a mobile game application of advocating armed revolution and promoting secessionist agendas, saying that those who publish it or share it with others online may risk violating national security laws. The announcement — the first to publicly denounce a gaming app — indicates that authorities are widening the crackdown that has followed anti-government protests in 2019. Authorities have crushed or silenced many dissenting voices through prosecutions under the 2020 national security law imposed by Beijing and a similar, homegrown law enacted last year. In a statement, police warned residents against downloading the 'Reversed Front: Bonfire" application, saying those with the app installed might be seen as possessing a publication with a seditious intention. They also warned people against providing financial assistance to the application developer, including making in-app purchases. ''Reversed Front: Bonfire' was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as 'Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence,' advocating armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People's Republic of China,' police said. The game application was developed by ESC Taiwan, which did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment. On the application's Facebook page, the developer posted about surging searches for the game name and a Hong Kong broadcaster's news report about Tuesday's development. According to the application's introduction, players can assume the role of Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghur, Taiwan or Cathaysian Rebel factions, among others, to overthrow the communist regime. They may also choose to lead the communists to defeat all enemies. The game's website says it 'is a work of nonfiction. Any similarity to actual agencies, policies or ethnic groups of the PRC in this game is intentional.' On Tuesday night, the app was still available on Apple's App Store but not on the Google Play store. The game publisher last month said Google Play had taken the app down because it did not prohibit users from adopting hateful language in naming. Apple, Google and Meta have not immediately commented. After playing the game for about three months, Kuo Hao Fu in Taiwan said he found that its content uses a humorous approach to describe serious political issues. Fu disagreed with the police accusations, saying players can also choose to be part of the force representing China. 'The Hong Kong police's actions demonstrate how Hong Kong's democratic freedoms have been controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,' he said. 'When even this level cannot be tolerated, it completely destroys creative freedom in gaming.' China considers Taiwan its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Many Taiwanese in the self-ruled island showed concerns about Hong Kong's declining freedoms under Beijing's grip. The Beijing and Hong Kong governments insist the city's national security laws were necessary to return stability to the city following the protests.


Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
No unaccompanied minors, only clear bags at Naperville's Last Fling this year
No unaccompanied minors will be allowed at Naperville's Last Fling this year, per new security measures announced by organizers on social media. Put on by the Naperville Jaycees, the annual Labor Day celebration is scheduled for Aug. 29-Sept. 1. With less than three months to go, the nonprofit social service club announced in a Facebook post that the event will have more safety requirements than in previous years, some of which are being dictated by the city. Among them is a provision that attendees under the age of 18 be accompanied by someone over the age of 25. One guardian will be able to supervise up to five minors. They have also instituted a clear bag policy, meaning only see-through and small clutch bags will be permitted. Bag storage will not be available and anyone with unapproved items will be turned away, organizers say. Further, all patrons will be subject to metal detector screenings. The announcement of the additional measures come days after organizers of the city's annual India Day Festival & Concert said they would be scaling back festivities this year amid rising costs from city-mandated security requirements. Bolstering safety measures at the Last Fling will impact the Jaycees 'significantly,' said Karen Coleman, the event's public relations and marketing chair. But the additional measures are also necessary for putting on the safest event possible, she said. 'We just need everyone to understand how important safety is to us,' she said. 'We would be devastated if something untoward happened at our event.' Asked about the financial impact of the added measures, Coleman said they were still figuring out the total cost but estimated it will be 'in the tens of thousands of dollars.' The new requirement for minor supervision was born out of crowd control issues related to minors in past years, Coleman said. As was the case previously, Last Fling will again be surrounded by fencing with gated entrances, Coleman said. The event's current location is along Jackson Avenue from Ewing Street to Main Street. However, the layout of the grounds may be altered next year, she said. 'The city of Naperville wants us to change the footprint of the event,' she said. Last Fling could move away from Jackson Avenue and take place at the Naperville Riverwalk's Rotary Hill instead. At this point, it's a possibility but 'not a done deal,' City Clerk Dawn Portner said. Like it does with every event in town, the city's special events team will evaluate the lessons learned from this year's Last Fling once it's over to determine if any changes need to be made for future events, Portner said. 'I think (one) of the issues that we're concerned with is compression,' she said. '(Last Fling) is a great event. It's a well-attended event, and we want to make sure that everyone who goes is safe. And if there is an incident that happens, that police can get in there (and) the fire department can get in there. … That's the way we look at it. 'Does it need a bigger location? Does it need a new location? Will (that) help if we do have compression issues? And if we have anything that we need to be concerned with, can we do it better? Is there a reason to do it better?' In an interview last week, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said additional security requirements at large-scale events in town are 'something we've been really pushing towards for the past few years and are finally getting traction (on).' 'Outdoor events are big, big targets for those looking to do bad things,' Arres said, 'and they're increasingly vulnerable to mass violence. … (These recommendations) keep these events safe and can actually deter threats before they occur.' Coleman said this year's Last Fling will still be the staple Labor Day celebration that attendees know and love — just safer. 'We're not trying to ruin anyone's great time or change the perspective of this awesome, end-of-summer event,' she said. 'We're super excited for the Fling this year.' Updates and more information about Last Fling, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, can be found at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Sex sting operation nabs 14, including man who hit deputy with his car, breaking his leg
An online sex sting dubbed Operation Travel to Gavel, where police posed as children, netted 14 arrests, including an Ocala man who drove his car into a Volusia County sheriff's deputy and broke his leg, authorities said. The sting was carried out on June 5, 6, and 7. The 14 defendants thought they were messaging with 13, 14, and 15-year-old boys and girls when they were actually communicating with undercover detectives. A North Carolina man visiting Florida with his girlfriend and three children also ended up in handcuffs in the undercover sex sting, a Facebook post from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. The multi-agency operation involved law enforcement officers from the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Port Orange, South Daytona and Lake City along with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Seventh Circuit State Attorney's Office. Among those arrested was Moshe Josue Delgado Juarez, 25, of Ocala, who accelerated his car into a deputy, fracturing his leg. In addition to being charged with traveling to meet a minor for sex, Delgado Juarez was also charged with aggravated battery and assault on law enforcement officers, aggravated fleeing with injury, and resisting arrest with violence. Delgado Juarez was being held Tuesday, June 10, without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail. Joshua Lee Walker, 45, Lexington, North Carolina, who apparently wanted to do more than spend time with his girlfriend and three children in Florida, also ended up in handcuffs when he showed up to meet who he thought was a child, police said Walker was charged with using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child, traveling to meet, and the unlawful use of a communication device to facilitate the commission of a felony. Court records show he is being held on $22,500 bail. The other 12 arrested were Julio Cesar Real Chavarria, 33, South Daytona, Mathieu Merveil Kouatonou, 29, Orlando, Niegel George Johnson, 28, Daytona Beach, Sourab Chilakamarri, 26, Daytona Beach, Reinaldo Ray Medina Jr., 31, South Daytona, Carlos George Guebara, 51, DeLand, Kenneth Leon Baldwin Jr., 39, Daytona Beach, Thomas Edward McKee, 39, Port Orange, Patrick James Concree, 40, Kissimmee, Francisco Javier Jurado, 33, Orange City, Robert Scott Shipley Jr., 26, Vero Beach, and Joseph Alan Williamson, 55, Port Orange. The suspects were charged with traveling to meet a minor for sex, using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, the Sheriff's Office said. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Sex sting in Volusia County leads to 14 arrests