Senior dragged during alleged purse robbery attempt at St. Catharines police station
A 39-year-old St. Catharines resident has been charged after officials say a woman was dragged through a local police station while trying to stop a man from allegedly stealing her purse.
The incident happened on May 30 at Niagara Regional Police Service’s (NRPS) 1 District at 198 Welland Ave.
Police said they were called to the building’s lobby for an assault in progress.
There, officers found a man who was “acting erratically” when he allegedly approached a 77-year-old woman who was sitting on a bench.
This individual then “proceeded to ramble and make incoherent conversation,” they said.
The woman did not engage with the suspect, whom police said paced throughout the front lobby.
Police said that the suspect then violently grabbed the woman’s purse when she attempted to retrieve it from the bench.
They said that the victim struggled to hold on to her handbag as the suspect started fleeing towards the main entry door of the front lobby while firmly holding the woman’s purse.
Police said that the victim, who refused to let go of her bag, fell to the floor while still clutching her purse and was dragged through the station’s lobby, front vestibule, and towards the concrete steps in front of the building.
Officers intervened at that point and arrested the suspect.
They also recovered the woman’s purse and its contents.
The victim sustained serious injuries. She was taken to a local hospital.
Ajitsingh Chandel, 39, of St. Catharines, has been charged with robbery. He was held in custody pending a May 31 bail hearing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact NRPS at 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1002200, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike
Lebanon's Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day.
They hit it off on vacation but then he went silent. So she decided to pick up the phone
When a few weeks passed and Nana Prempeh still hadn’t heard from the guy she met on vacation, she turned to her friends for advice.
Historians call it Canada's oldest standing indoor hockey arena. What's next for the Stannus Street Rink?
Windsor, N.S. has long-claimed to be the 'birthplace of hockey.' Local historians believe the game has roots in the town, located in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
'I love you but I hate you.' What to do when you can't stand your long-term partner
It's often said there is a thin line between love and hate, but is it OK to sometimes hate your long-term partner? If you ask actress Jamie Lee Curtis, it's practically necessary.
Scientists discover hidden ancient forest on treeless island
Trees haven't grown on the Falkland Islands for thousands of years. But tree trunks and branches preserved in peat suggest the islands were once home to a forest.
Vance exuded calm during a tense debate stage moment. Can he keep it up when he faces Walz?
When two of his Republican rivals for an Ohio Senate seat nearly came to blows on live statewide television two years ago, JD Vance appeared unimpressed.
Walz has experience on a debate stage pinning down an abortion opponent's shifting positions
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz knows how to lean into abortion rights on the debate stage. He's done it before.
Killer who stabbed victim 'at least 52 times' dies in B.C. prison
A 72-year-old inmate serving a life sentence for a brutal murder that happened in Chilliwack in 2016 has died, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.
Hurricane tracker: follow Helene's path on this interactive map
Here is an interactive hurricane map using live tracking data from the NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC), following Hurricane Helene's observed and forecasted paths.