Purse snatcher drags a woman down an escalator at a Texas mall, video shows

Startling video from a Texas mall shows the moment a man stole a woman’s purse — and pulled her down a moving escalator.

Last month, a woman in Houston withdrew cash from a bank ATM before heading to Saks Fifth Avenue at the Galleria mall, police said in a news release.

The woman told investigators she parked in the garage before heading to the store. As she ascended the escalator, the woman says she “suddenly jolted back” before realizing a man was trying to steal her purse, according to the release.

Surveillance video shows the woman stepping onto the escalator, her purse hanging from her right arm as she looks at her phone. A man can be seen walking up the escalator behind her before quickly snatching the bag.

As the man tries to run back down the steps, the woman — whose arm is still hooked through the purse straps — falls backward down the moving escalator. The man drags her to the door as he tries to pull the purse free, ultimately succeeding and running off.

Police say he hopped in a burgundy four-door Buick and left the garage.

Officials believe the woman may have been followed from the ATM.

“It looks like he probably followed her from the bank,” Robbery Division detective Jeff Brieden told KPRC. “These juggers will sit in parking lots and actually just wait.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).