Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Purse snatching leads to arrest in woman’s beating

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 | 2:11 p.m.

Click to enlarge photo

Daniel Ruiz

A retired police sergeant having a cup of coffee in a northwest Las Vegas Valley bookstore captured a man trying to steal a woman's purse on Sunday. Police later discovered the man was wanted in the robbery and beating of a woman days earlier in northwest Las Vegas.

Retired Metro Police Sgt. Gary Dale was inside the Borders Bookstore at 2190 N. Rainbow Blvd. when he heard a woman yell, "Someone stop, help, my purse," an arrest report read.

Dale immediately saw a man police later identified a 20-year-old Daniel Ruiz running from the bookstore's doors and pursued him across Rainbow to the Barnes and Noble Bookstore at 2201 N. Rainbow Blvd., where, with the help of a security guard, Ruiz was held in the parking lot until police arrived.

A black purse with credit cards, a cell phone and other valuables was recovered, police said.

After police booked Ruiz into the Clark County Detention Center for grand larceny and possession of a credit card without the owner's consent, detectives compared his photo with a composite sketch released in the attack of a woman in her mid-60s who was robbed and beaten in the face on Oct. 14 at her home near Buffalo Avenue and Smoke Ranch Road.

The man came to the woman's front door and told her he was looking for a lost dog, then left for eight minutes, the arrest report said. He returned, and she opened the door to him and began to beat her face, head, arms and chest with his fists, the report indicated. He asked her where her keys and wallet were.

After she told him her purse was in the kitchen, the woman tried to get up and leave through her open front door, but the man returned and again beat her with his fists, the arrest report said. He then went to her garage and left in her 2008 Infiniti G35, which authorities later found abandoned in the same neighborhood. After police processed the car, it was returned to the victim this week.

Police booked Ruiz for intent to commit a felony, robbery of an older person, kidnapping, battery and grand larceny in the attack, said Lt. Clint Nichols of Metro's Robbery Section today.

The charges in the woman's beating and robbery will be enhanced because of her age, Nichols said.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy