Seattle Police: 26-year-old purse snatcher targeted Asian women

SPD makes arrest in purse snatching cases targeting Asian women

The 26-year-old suspect is accused of being involved in more than a dozen incidents where bags and purses were stolen from women in grocery store parking lots.

SEATTLE - Seattle Police have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection to a 31-day theft spree targeting women who are primarily Asian.

In each of the incidents, court documents said the suspect targeted older Asian females in the parking lot of Asian markets in the Chinatown-International District, Rainier Valley, and Beacon Hill.

Several of those incidents happened at Lam’s Seafood Market. The operations manager showed video of a purse snatching from April 28. All of the incidents reportedly happened in broad daylight.

The suspect is seen swiftly running out of a black SUV and wiggling the door of the victim’s car. He gets back in the car, then waits for his chance to force his way to the woman’s purse in the front passenger seat. The suspect was blue medical gloves.

"They just jump out and grab their purse sometimes right off their hands or they open their cars and take whatever they get from the car," said Teizi Mersei. "In one instance, they actually pushed a lady to the ground and ran off."

Investigators said between April 8 and May 11, approximately 14 verified cases involving the theft or robbery of a purse from a victim’s vehicles and or persons has been reported.

In many cases, the suspects got away with iPhones, bank cards, and thousands of dollars in cash. In one case, court documents said the victim was carrying between $40,000 to $50,000 in cash.

On May 10, a detective with the SPD Gang Unit and Task Force and ATF Crime Gun Task Force reached out to the investigating detective on the purse snatching incidents and said the suspect was seen on social media videos flashing stacks of US currency in $20 to $100 denominations. The interior of the vehicle was consistent to that of a Ford Edge, which matches the vehicle in the surveillance videos, according to court documents.

Seattle Police eventually arrested the suspect on Tuesday at the Enterprise Rental in Renton. The suspect is a convicted felon and was arrested with a loaded GLOCK 21 handgun. He was booked into King County Jail for multiple counts of theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.

The suspect’s first appearance in court was on Wednesday. The judge set bail at $250,000. The suspect’s next court appearance is on Friday.

SPD’s Bias Crimes Unit will review the cases because of the suspect’s repeated targeting of Asian victims.

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