Crime & Safety

Woman Chases Down Purse-Snatcher on Ashland

Evanston police arrested a 44-year-old Evanston man after he stole a $2,600 Louis Vuitton purse from a car waiting in line at a car wash, according to police. The victim and two other people chased him down.

A Wilmette woman and two other people chased down a man who snatched her purse out of her car at an Evanston car wash Monday afternoon, according to police. 

The 49-year-old woman was waiting in line for a car wash in the 2200 block of Ashland Avenue when a man reached into her car, took her Louis Vuitton purse worth roughly $2,600 and started running, police said. 

She was startled, but jumped out of her car and chased after the man, who returned the purse to her, according to police. The man tried to run away, but two other Good Samaritans chased after him, along with an Evanston police officer, who took the man into custody. 

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Steven Elmo Hatfield, 44, of the 2000 block of Dodge Avenue, is charged with one count of burglary, a felony, police said. He was recently released on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections for retail theft, and police issued a parole violation warrant following his arrest.

“The Evanston Police Department commends the actions of the victim and the two citizen witnesses during this incident,” police said in the release.

Find out what's happening in Evanstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.