Teen Targeted In Wynwood Attempted Purse Snatching Tells Her Story
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WYNWOOD (CBSMiami) – A video that's gone viral shows the struggle that ensued when a woman tried to snatch a pricey purse from an 18-year-old college freshman in Wynwood.
"She was just pulling so hard and I put a lot of resistance," said the victim, Valentina Baiz.
Baiz said she moved to Miami from Venezuela more than a year ago to escape the violence there.
The FIU freshman said she was taking pictures with her best friend when all of a sudden a woman in her 20s came up from behind her and tried to steal the Louis Vuitton purse her parents had gifted her a month earlier.
"It was a theft in seconds," said Baiz. "I don't remember very well because my mind just disconnect from my body."
The attack, caught on surveillance video by a neighboring business, happened on July 6th as the teen walked on NW 26th Street near NW 2nd Avenue.
The video shows a vehicle dropping off the would-be assailant.
"What she's looking for is that precise opportunity to grab that victim's purse," said City of Miami Police Officer Kenia Fallat.
As the victim and the robber struggle for the purse, the same car that dropped off the robber drives up to pick her up.
"There was a guy back in the door calling the police telling her that if she doesn't go, the police will come and cars start passing so she left," said Baiz.
The attack left Baiz with scratches and bruises on her thigh, arm and elbow.
She now has some faint scars where her injuries have healed. But she said the experience has changed her. She wants the woman and her accomplice caught.
"It's better if she starts working or doing something with her life and not doing bad because it can have a lot of consequences," said Baiz.
If you have information on the case, contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
