Pair Charged With Snatching Woman's Purse From Shopping Cart

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Two people have been arrested and charged with allegedly taking a woman’s purse from shopping cart outside Walmart in Cartersville.

Deputies with the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office late Sunday arrested Haley Renee Parris, 18, and Zayid Rashaun Patterson, 20, both of Cleveland, Tennessee. Patterson was charged with robbery by sudden snatching while Parris was charged with party to a crime of robbery by sudden snatching.

A deputy with the agency responded to Walmart at 101 Market Place Boulevard unincorporated Cartersville just before 11:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5 and met with a woman who said she was unloading groceries from her shopping cart when a 2006 Nissan Sentra pulled up to her.

A man got out of the vehicle, pulled his pants up and allegedly reached over and took her purse from the shopping cart, according to sheriff’s office’s incident report.

The woman said she reached for her purse at the same time the suspect did, but was not able to grab it in time. She said she “grabbed the door handle to the vehicle in (an) attempt to get him to stop, but the vehicle continued,” the report states.

As the vehicle pulled away from the scene, the driver allegedly hit an object, possibly another vehicle that was parked in front of them, according to the report.

A witness who observed the incident and followed the Sentra called Bartow County dispatchers and stated the car got onto Interstate 75 northbound, but exited the interstate at the Cass-White Road interchange. The witness said the car reportedly had a flat tire.

A deputy made contact with the suspects and car that matched the vehicle in question at Travel Centers of America 981 Cass-White Road.

The victim was later transported to the store to identify the suspects and the items allegedly in their possession.

The woman said a Walmart bag lying on the back floorboard belonged to her, as it contained an item she purchased and subsequently placed in her purse.

Upon searching the vehicle, a deputy located a wallet underneath the passenger seat, which allegedly contained items belonging to the victim.

Both of the suspects said they did not have the purse in their possession, as it had been tossed out of the window following the incident, the deputy wrote in his narrative. 

“Haley (Parris) began to cry and said she did not do it,” the deputy wrote. “Haley eventually stated that she did not know ‘he’ was going to do it. Haley said the car was parked when ’he’ got out and grabbed her purse.”

Jail records show both suspects were booked into the Bartow County Jail around 2 a.m. Monday, April 6 and are being held without bond.

Image via Shutterstock