The Hialeah Police Department is searching for a man accused of knocking down an elderly woman and snatching her purse.
The incident allegedly happened in a shopping center. The incident was captured on surveillance video.
Snatching a purse without using force or inflicting injury is a robbery by sudden snatching, a third-degree felony in Florida punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
However, when you take property using force or threats or force, the crime is elevated to a strong-arm robbery.
A strong-arm robbery is a second-degree felony punishable by 15 years in prison.
Police will study the tape to get an ID on the suspect. The suspect was also seen getting into a car. If the tape can be enhanced so that the license plate becomes visible, the police can use the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ database to locate the registered owner of the car.
Under the Florida Criminal Punishment Code, strong-arm robbery has a sentencing guideline range of 21 months up to 15 years.
Eric Matheny is a Miami robbery lawyer and a Broward robbery lawyer.