Man arrested, accused of stealing purses from Asian women

SEATTLE – Officers have arrested a man they think has been stealing purses and bags from more than a dozen women in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, police said Wednesday.

Detectives believe he’s one of two men who has been approaching mostly Asian women between 40 and 80 years old outside grocery stores, then grabbing their bags and fleeing in a vehicle, the Seattle Times reported.

The man arrested was allegedly involved in about 14 cases of theft at Asian markets in Seattle from early April to mid-May, according to probable-cause documents. Police said most of the women had from $50 to $10,000 of cash in their purses as well as credit cards, cellphones, drivers licenses and jewelry.

In each theft, according to officers, two men pulled a vehicle without license plates up next to the victim’s car, one got out, grabbed the woman’s purse or bag and they drove away.

A detective, who was familiar with the man from a separate investigation, noticed him showing “a lot of cash” on social media a few hours after one of the thefts, documents said. Police arrested him Tuesday in Renton, according to probable-cause documents.

Officers say they recovered a loaded handgun from the man and booked him into the King County Jail on investigation of theft and unlawful possession of a firearm. He’s being held on $250,000 bail.