It’s been a week since Sherrie Timmins had her purse snatched at SuperTarget in Lake Highlands, but she says she’s “just beginning to feel normal again.” She’s been emailing friends and neighbors, sharing her story and warning them about leaving their handbag where someone can grab it and go.
Sherrie said she’s heard the warnings before, so she usually secures her purse with buckle meant as a seatbelt for children. When she discovered it was broken, she figured “oh well, I’m just going to be a minute.”
While examining a display of scarves, not far from the store’s front door, Sherrie felt a bump to her basket. “I looked up to see my purse being lifted from the cart and a kid running as fast as he could toward the entrance with my purse.”
Sherrie let out a scream and started running after the thief. “It’s been a long time since I had to run in gym class, but adrenaline must really work miracles, because I think this 63-year-old woman probably shocked the purse-snatching kid as I raced after him, screaming in the parking lot.”
Just as her knees gave out, a Good Samaritan sprinted past her and both runners disappeared behind a van.
A few seconds later, her hero emerged with the purse. Luis, who’d been shopping with his wife and two young children, heard her pleas for help and ran after the thief, who threw down the purse to get away.
Sherrie says she was lucky to recover all her belongings (Luis humbly refused a reward at first, but she insisted), and she admits she’s not sure if running after a criminal in a parking lot was wise.
“I owe so much to an amazing young stranger who reacted based on what he knew was ‘the right thing to do.’ I wish I had his full name and could contact him again. His very existence makes me feel so good about the true nature of people, and I really believe that somewhere down the road he’ll be repaid for his good works.”
