It was dark and foggy along Bosworth Street when a 28-year-old woman walked away from the Glen Park BART station and was surrounded by two men, one in front and one in back. They wanted her purse. Police say she didn't want to give it up.
At one point the woman's head injuries were thought to be life-threatening, but police now say her condition has improved and she's expected to survive.
"Essentially what happened during the struggle, the victim fell backwards, striking her head on the pavement causing those severe injuries," said San Francisco Police Ofc. Albie Esparza.
A woman driving by found the victim near the curb and bleeding from the head. She called 911. During the Friday rush hour, commuters were just learning of the attack and using it as an unfortunate reminder.
"I think it's a good thing to always bring that to your awareness and to keep in mind that you need to be always on the lookout," said San Francisco resident Cari Napoles. "It's unfortunate that it happened. I'm sorry to hear that she got hurt."
A woman we spoke to, who didn't want to give her name, says she knows to travel with the bare minimum of cash and credit cards. "I'm not on the phone, or anything, and I just walk like I'm on a mission. I think that's all you can do. You never know when you're going to get hit. If i had to give it up, I'd give it up, but I would hate to, the purse."
A few hours before this incident there was another purse snatching on Bosworth a few blocks away. Again, there was a struggle, but no injuries. Police say the two attacks are not related and offer this advice.
"The thing is you don't know whether a suspect would be armed with a weapon or not and that's something you don't want to find out," said Esparza. "So if someone comes up to you, the best thing to do is just hand over the property and get the best description possible."
"Wow, I'd just let him have it," said Oakland resident Amy Washington. "My life is more important. So they could have the purse."
In all, three men ran away with the victim's purse. The Glen Park Neighborhood Association says these incidents are relatively rare, but it's getting the word out to residents and working with police to catch the men and prevent other crimes.
