Man steals Hamilton senior’s purse during bingo game: police

A 33-year-old man is facing charges after he allegedly stole a senior’s purse while she was playing bingo in Hamilton.

Police say a 73-year-old woman had placed her purse on her walker while she was playing a game of bingo at Princess Bingo on Fennell Ave. East Monday night.

A short time later, another woman inside the hall screamed after she spotted a man take the victim’s purse.

Police say several witnesses chased the man down as he tried to flee the scene. “Once outside the building, the suspect discarded the purse. The witnesses caught up to the suspect as he attempted to jump over a fence and held him until police arrived,” said Hamilton police in a news release.

The man was arrested and charged with theft under $5,000, and possession of stolen property under $5,000.

Police discovered there was a warrant for his arrest for failing to attend court for the dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in 2018. He was taken into custody and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The purse was returned to the victim.

Hamilton police are thanking the bystanders who jumped into action, saying their involvement “directly resulted in the arrest of the suspect and the return of the purse.”