Armed Robber Steals Purse at DeSoto Square Mall Parking Lot, Deputies Say

An armed man robbed a woman of her purse Wednesday afternoon in the JC Penney parking lot at DeSoto Square mall, authorities said.

The victim was preparing to get out of her vehicle and go into the department store around 1 p.m. Wednesday when she was approached by a man with a silver handgun who ordered her to hand over her purse, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office reports.

The 61-year-old woman struggled with the suspect until he reached into her car and took the purse off the front seat, authorities said. The suspect fled to the west side of JC Penney, where he got into the passenger side of a silver, 2000s model Chevy Malibu that took off.

The victim, who was not injured, drove to the sheriff's office operations center nearby, where she flagged down a deputy.

The suspect is described as being between 6-foot and 6-foot-2, skinny with short hair and thick-lensed glasses.

Sign up for the Bradenton Patch email newsletter to get our top headlines delivered straight to your inbox so you won't miss a thing!