Store owner mugged, purse stolen in Birmingham

A Birmingham store owner was mugged and had her purse forcibly snatched as she walked in the crosswalk on N. Old Woodward and Harmon after closing her store for the day on Wednesday, January 4.

The 64-year-old female, who is also a resident of Birmingham, told Birmingham police as she was closing her business, she noticed a suspicious male walk by. She left her store to cross N. Old Woodward, and kept walking on the cross walk at Harmon when a young male came up behind her, forcefully wrapping his arms around her neck. The man told the victim to give him her purse and after doing so, the victim ran behind a house on Harmon.

A witness later told officers that they saw a male wearing a black hooded coat and light grey sweatpants walking out of an alley to cross N. Old Woodward.

The victim told police that the credit cards inside the stolen purse were used at several places in neighboring cities.

A local resident also noted to Downtown Newsmagazine that members of the Birmingham Police Department the next morning could be seen searching around the vehicles in the parking area of a nearby condo complex, speculating that the activity was related to the mugging and purse snatching incident.

Birmingham police detectives said they are currently continuing to investigate the incident.