Walmart Shopper's Instincts Prompted Him to Chase Alleged Purse Thief

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One of the customers who tried to catch a purse thief recently at a Norcross-area Walmart said it was instincts that compelled him to give chase.

It may have also helped that his wife told him to “go get him.”

Kenneth Jenkins told WSB-TV he heard the victim scream out for help before he ran after John Samuel Simmonds, who allegedly grabbed the woman’s purse while she was in the checkout line at the Walmart store on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. “It was just my natural to try to help,” Jenkins told the TV station.

Read more at wsbtv.com

Police say Simmonds, 25, grabbed the purse while the woman was placing her groceries on the checkout line conveyor belt around 7 p.m. June 11, then he bolted for the parking lot. Gwinnett Police Cpl. Michele Pihera said Simmonds ran right out of his shoes as he tried to get away.

“The victim yelled that someone had stolen her purse, and two men began chasing him,” Pihera said in a Tuesday email. “While the suspect was running out of the store, both his shoes came off.”

• Related: Alleged Purse Snatcher Left His Shoes at Walmart

As Jenkins and another man gave chase, police said Simmonds jumped into a black BMW for his getaway. Jenkins said he tried to open the door of the car, but was almost hit when Simmonds was pulling out.

The men noted the license plate number of the BMW and gave it to police, who found and arrested Simmonds not long after the incident. The purse was recovered with most of the items still inside.

Simmonds, a Statham, Ga., resident according to jail records, was charged with robbery by sudden snatching, and also faces other charges. He is being held in the county jail without bond.

The Gwinnett Dail Post reported it was Simmonds’ 12th arrest in Gwinnett County.

His shoes were taken from the store and placed into evidence.

Photo: John Samuel Simmonds. Gwinnett County Jail mug shot