Woman Dragged 75 Yards In Disturbing Video Of St. Paul Mugging

SAINT PAUL, MN — St. Paul police are warning residents to be alert after more than 20 reports of robberies that share the same characteristics, including one in which the victim was dragged by a car 75 yards.

In an effort to identify the suspects and spread awareness, police shared a disturbing video from a robbery that occurred at about 5:20 p.m. Sunday at a market in the 1000 block of Johnson Parkway.

The victim had just finished shopping and was putting belongings in the trunk of her car when a thief jumped out of a stolen blue 2017 Hyundai Elantra, grabbed her purse and went to flee in the car, police said.

The woman's arm got caught in the strap, and she was dragged 75 yards. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured, police said.

"But we need to find the people responsible for these crimes before someone is," police said.

Police say the thieves struck twice again Wednesday night.

According to police, the incidents share several similarities:

• The suspects in every case are described as black males between the ages of 15 and 30 who pull hoods from sweatshirts or hats tight over their heads and faces to conceal their identities.
• The victims are women who tend to be 40 and older, alone and carrying purses or bags.
• The suspects sneak up on the victims, either on foot or in a stolen car, and rip the purses or bags from their shoulders,
• If the victims resist, the suspects hit them and threaten them, sometimes with a gun.
• The suspects make their getaways on foot or in the stolen car.

"They sneak up from behind. They jump out of stolen cars. They strike at all hours of the day and night, in all parts of the city," police note in a news release. "Their victims are women, walking alone, typically carrying a purse or bag."

Anyone who has any information on the suspects is asked to call police at 651-266-5650.

Warning: The video below includes violence below may be disturbing to some viewers.