Phoenix police are investigating a robbery and purse snatching outside a local grocery store that left an 83-year-old woman hospitalized with multiple broken bones.
The family spoke with ABC15 but asked not to identify their mother because of the crime that took place on May 29th outside a Food City on Central Avenue and Baseline Road.
“My mother looked like she had been mauled,” said her daughter.
The family shared X-rays of the 83-year-old woman’s broken shoulder, and fractured eye socket, along with several lacerations to her forehead, arms and legs. They tell us that their mother was just leaving the store with groceries when the robbery happened.
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“My mom is a very strong woman, I’ve never seen her cry, not even when my dad died and they were married for fifty years, to see her in that level of pain was hard,” shared her daughter.
Phoenix police said they have not made any arrests but were able to get surveillance video from a nearby business.
A business shared that video with ABC15 which shows a man running past a daycare at 11:15 a.m. carrying a large bag.
The woman’s daughter was notified by a Good Samaritan less than 10 minutes later that her mother was being taken to a hospital.
The Phoenix Police Department robbery unit will be handling the investigation.
“I’m hoping that these stores offer more protections for the vulnerable, like the elderly, she wasn’t shopping at midnight, she was shopping at 11:30 in the day,” said the woman’s daughter.
Food City told ABC15 in a statement that the security of their team members and guests is a priority, “At Food City, the security of our team members and guests is a top priority. We understand this incident occurred outside between our store and a neighboring business. While we do have in-store security at that location at various times, there was not a guard on duty on the morning of the incident.”
They went on to say, “We will continue to work with our neighbors and landlords to address any issues that arise. We wish a speedy recovery for the individual that was affected by this very unfortunate event.”
