Purse-snatcher strikes thrice in Montgomery Village

‘‘The descriptions from all three victims are very, very similar,” said Officer Melanie Hadley, a Montgomery County Police spokeswoman. ‘‘... Everything’s just falling into place on this one.”

Victim accounts described the suspect as a black male, 20 to 22 years old, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing 160 to 170 pounds. The suspect was wearing a black baseball cap, a dark hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans during the thefts, according to police.

The first purse was stolen just after 8 p.m. Jan. 6, in front of the Safeway grocery store, at 9639 Lost Knife Road. The next theft was 6 a.m. Jan. 9, in a parking lot in front of homes on the 10100 block Ridgeline Drive, near Clubhouse Road. The third purse was snatched less than four hours later a few hundred yards away, in the parking lot in front of Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Village Center shopping mall on Montgomery Village Avenue.

All three women, of varying ages, were Montgomery Village residents. Police have released tips for avoiding purse thefts.

Police encourage residents to:

*Travel and shop with a friend.

* Stay in well-lighted areas, walk close to street lights and avoid dark corners and alleys.

*Never leave a purse unattended, on a store counter or in a shopping cart.

*Keep the purse close to the body and cover it with your hand or arm. Avoid wearing the purse strap diagonally across the body. If a thief grabs the purse and tries to run, the strap could cause injury.

*Always be aware of your surroundings. Trust your instincts.

*Make note of the thief’s description. Call the police immediately after an incident occurs.

*Keep copies of credit cards, debit cards and identification. It will make it easier when reporting them stolen.