Would-be robbers try to steal ring off of elderly woman’s hand

By the Daily Post staff

Two people in a car tried to remove a ring of an elderly woman who was walking along Middlefield Road near Channing Avenue using her walker, police said.

The woman, who is in her 80s, sustained minor physical injuries in the attempted robbery at 4:45 p.m. Saturday, police said. The would-be robbers are at large.

The woman had been walking east when a large, black 4-door sedan pulled up next to her and stopped. A female passenger asked her for directions to a grocery store, and then got out of the car to continue the conversation while the male driver remained in the car. The female suspect told the victim she resembled her own mother and wanted to give her a piece of her mother’s jewelry, according to police. 

The suspect took the victim’s hand off the walker she had been using and slipped a bracelet onto the victim’s wrist. The suspect then tried to pull the victim’s wedding ring off her finger, but it would not easily come off. The suspect pulled hard, but the ring stayed on.

The suspect then got back into the car, and the vehicle fled east on Channing Avenue at a high rate of speed, police said.

The victim, who did not have a cellphone with her, continued on her walk and later told a family member about what happened. That family member notified police at around 8 p.m.

The victim sustained bruising to two fingers as a result of the robbery attempt, police said.

Descriptions

The victim described the primary suspect as an unknown race, unknown age female adult with a medium complexion.  She had dark black hair in a bun and was about 5 feet 4 inches tall. 

The victim described the driver as a male with dark hair and a dark mustache.No similar cases have been reported recently. But back in October, a similar roadside scam case occurred where an elderly female victim had two necklaces stolen off her neck. 

Police said they are investigating to see if there is any connection between the two cases, or any other similar crimes in other cities. That October case remains unsolved, with no suspects identified.