MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shoppers jumped into action to help stop an attempted purse snatching outisde a Midtown Kroger earlier this week.
“It shocked me,” said witness Alissa Reed. “It was just awful.”
She had just finished loading her groceries into her car around 10 p.m. Monday at the Kroger at 1759 Union Avenue when she said she saw a man walk toward the woman outside the car parked next to her.
“And grabbed her bag and she started hollering, ‘what are you doing? You trying to steal my purse?’ And he was pulling her and I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And I was trying to get to him to help her, but he was pulling her and pulling her, and I just started hollering and screaming, ‘security, security, security!'”
Hearing her cries, Reed said multiple shoppers and security ran to help.
“Four or five guys just came out of nowhere and they chased him down.”
Store security called 911.
The fellow shoppers held the man, now identified as 49-year-old Charles Campbell, until police arrived.
Campbell was taken to the Regional Medical Center for some potential injuries he received during his arrest. That’s when he was able to temporarily escape police custody.
The next day Campbell was spotted at a business off Elvis Presley where police arrested him.
Reed said this case shows when someone needs help, there’s plenty of people out there willing to step up.
“There are people around that want to help you,” she said.
And it takes everyone working together to stay safe.
Reed believes there was also another person with Campbell in a getaway car that left the scene.
A Kroger spokesperson told us in a statement, “We appreciate our customers, store security guards and Memphis Police Department for moving swiftly to help. We are asking everyone to please be safe during this holiday season.”
Campbell is charged with robbery and escape.
