Alleged Concord Purse-Snatcher Arraigned For Elder Abuse, Robbery

CONCORD, CA — A man accused of injuring a 93-year-old woman during a robbery in Concord earlier this month pleaded not guilty this morning to second-degree robbery and elder abuse with great bodily injury charges, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.

Concord police responded to a report of two women robbed in the 1000 block of Sunvalley Boulevard around 4 p.m. on May 18 and found a 64-year-old woman and a 93-year-old woman at the scene. The older victim had been knocked to the ground when her purse was stolen and had to be transported to a hospital.

Otto Halafihi, 29, turned himself in to law enforcement in Stanislaus County last Wednesday after Concord police circulated images from security footage in the area of the robbery.

Halafihi was arraigned on three felony charges stemming from that case this morning.

A day after he turned himself in, Halafihi was arrested by Fremont police on suspicion of robbing a Lowe's Home Improvement store at 43612 Pacific Commons Blvd. around 8:40 p.m. on May 9.

Investigators said he walked up to a register, lifted his shirt and took out a handgun, then threatened to shoot employees unless they backed away.

He had been carrying two items, and police said he picked them up and left the store before fleeing the area in a white four-door sedan.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about whether Halafihi has been charged in that crime.

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By Bay City News Service

Photo courtesy Concord Police Department