Salt Lake City police get assist from snow in nabbing purse-snatcher

Salt Lake City police say they got an assist from the weather in hunting down a suspect who roughed up an elderly woman while taking her purse.

The 85-year-old woman said she had completed a transaction inside the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 778 S. Main about 2:45 p.m. Monday. She then walked outside and the suspect, a middle-aged white male, ripped her purse out of her arms. The woman fell to the ground during the struggle.

However, witnesses were able to give police a license plate number for a gold Chevrolet Lumina the suspect drove away in.

At 2 a.m. Tuesday, police located the suspect inside the vehicle near 1200 W. 1700 South. When the man attempted to flee in the car, it became stuck in snow and he was taken into custody.

The 56-year-old man was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he was being held without bail on past arrest warrants and suspicion of robbery, weapons violations and fleeing police.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims