Punta Gorda police are asking for your help identifying a man who accosted a woman in a local parking lot as he tried to steal her purse.
It happened recently in the parking lot of Charlotte High School. The thief, described as a white male between 15 and 20 years old, was wearing khaki shorts and a black t-shirt. He tried to grab the victim’s purse from her while she was walking toward her vehicle. She fought him, at one point being violently slammed into her vehicle by the robber. He ran off, without the purse, south through the parking lot, toward Cooper Street. If you know anything about the crime, you can earn a cash reward by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 780-TIPS.