A man was charged with robbery after he grabbed a purse from a woman he allegedly stopped to ask for money in the area of 990 Elm St., near the corner of Elm and Mechanic Street.
Instead of getting a handout, Steven Judkins, 34, of Epsom, who was with a group of people allegedly panhandling around 8:30 p.m., grabbed the woman’s purse and fled on foot.
He didn’t get far.
The victim’s screams alerted several people who were nearby who managed to stop Judkins and hold him there until Manchester Patrol Officer Derek Feather arrived, to find Judkins seated on the ground surrounded by the crime-fighting crowd.
The 36-year-old victim told police she was heading north on Elm Street with her boyfriend when a group of panhandlers stopped them to ask for money.
“In an instant one of the males ripped the purse from her hand and fled on foot in a southerly direction. Luckily, several good Samaritans heard her scream for help and they latched on to Judkins,” according to Manchester Police Sgt. Brian O’Keefe.
