Man with toy gun steals purse, attempts another robbery

Published 5:50 pm Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Warren County authorities are looking for a man in connection with the reported Saturday theft of a purse from a car parked at a store on Mississippi 27, and the attempted robbery moments later of an employee at Bumper’s Drive-In on 27.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said his office received two calls about both incidents almost simultaneously about 7:50 p.m. Saturday.

According to Sheriff’s Office reports, a woman was sitting in her car in the parking lot of Family Dollar, 135 Mississippi 27, when the man opened the driver’s side door, reached across her and took the purse, which was sitting on the passenger side, and fled on foot. The purse has not been recovered.

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The man crossed the highway, went to Bumper’s, 120 Mississippi 27, and unsuccessfully attempted to take the change belt from an employee. Witnesses said he was carrying a toy gun and wearing a bandanna. Another employee knocked the man down, and he ran off without any money or the toy gun.

Pace said the suspect is described as a black man between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10, possibly with dreadlocks, wearing a blue or black hoodie.

Anyone with information about the man or either incident can call Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS(8477) or 1-866-481-8477, or log on to www.p3tips.

In other cases:

• Investigations by Vicksburg police into two stolen vehicle reports over two days from the same location resulted in the recovery of another car that had been reported stolen earlier.

Officers were called to the Circle K, 4150 Washington St., Saturday after a woman reported her 2013 Cadillac STS stolen from the store. Sunday, police were called to the same store involving the report of a stolen 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe.

While the officers were getting information on the Tahoe, they noticed an unoccupied 2017 Dodge Ram pickup with Hinds County license tags parked near a gas pump.

When they ran the tag through the National Crime Information Center, the truck came back as a stolen vehicle. The owner was notified and the truck was returned.

• An undetermined amount of cash was reported taken Monday from a locked box in a house in the 2200 block of Pearl Street.

• A .45-caliber handgun was reported taken from a vehicle in the 200 block of Springridge Drive.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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