ELYRIA — Betty Hopkins says she doesn’t remember much of what happened Monday morning. She knows she was headed into Convenient Food Mart on Cleveland Street and the next thing she can remember, she was on the pavement and hurting.
Police say a purse snatcher knocked the 84-year-old Sheffield woman to the ground and robbed her in front of Convenient at 11:32 a.m.
The suspect ran toward Olive Street with her purse, which contained $120 in cash, her driver’s license, medical cards and a wallet.
“All of a sudden, this person came, and before I knew what was happening, I was lying on the ground,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins was taken to EMH Medical Center in Elyria for treatment of her injuries — she suffered an injury to her left elbow, a cut on her thumb and a large bump on her head from striking the pavement.
Hopkins said Tuesday afternoon that she “had a few sore spots,” but she was thankful her injuries were not severe.
“It could easily have been a broken back,” she said.
Police searched for the suspect but were unable to find him. No arrests have been made, according to Lt. Andy Eichenlaub, but an employee at Convenient Food Mart witnessed the incident and described the suspect as a white male in his 30s.
A security camera at the store also captured video of the man, who was seen standing outside by the ice machine watching customers walk from the parking lot to the store. He had shoulder-length dark hair, was approximately 150 to 170 pounds and was wearing faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt under a plaid flannel shirt.
Hopkins has lived in Elyria and Avon for much of her life but moved to Sheffield last fall after her husband died. She said she likes the Convenient and stops there to pick up precooked meals, which she freezes for later so she doesn’t have to cook so much.
But she said that after the attack on Cleveland Street, she feels a little less safe in the neighborhood.
“It was awful. He came out of nowhere,” she said. “That was 11 o’clock, broad daylight. … It doesn’t make sense.”
Contact Chelsea Miller at 329-7123 or cmiller@chroniclet.com.
Recent Comments