An Early Start
The holiday crime season's begun: Pepper spraying purse ambush at Target,beating raise alarms
Sugar Land shoppers and thieves alike are gearing up for the holiday season: Last week, a man was beaten unconscious in a First Colony Mall restroom for his cell phone; this week, women were pepper-sprayed for their purses.
A 44-year-old woman and her 76-year-old mother were in the parking lot of a Sugar Land Target on Monday just before 9 p.m., loading their merchandise into the trunk, when another woman — believed to be in her late 20s or early 30s — approached the pair and ambushed them with pepper spray.
Adolph encourages residents to be vigilant during the holiday season, when vehicle robberies and strong-arm attacks become increasingly common.
KHOU reports that the assailant allegedly punched the older woman in the stomach and face and absconded with both of the women's handbags.
A video released by the police department, below, shows two female suspects leaving the scene in a dark getaway car, where a third accomplice waited in the driver's seat.
"Really, there wasn't anything that these [victims] were doing wrong," Sugar Land public information officer Doug Adolph tells CultureMap. "They were parked in a well-lit area, close to the entrance door.
Adolph encourages residents to be vigilant of their surroundings during the holiday season, when vehicle robberies and strong-arm attacks become increasingly common. He says that the best way to do that is to remain observant and deliberate.
Anyone with information on the Target attack is encouraged to call Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at (281) 342-TIPS or the Sugar Land Police Department at (281) 275-2500.
