Witnesses nab suspect in purse snatching

A man was charged with robbery on Feb. 13 after he was chased down by witnesses who saw him snatch a teenager’s purse on Shaw Avenue, according to Nassau County Police.

The 17-year-old female victim was walking north on Shaw Ave. when Kevin Noriega, 22, who has no known address, approached her from the opposite direction and grabbed her handbag. The victim tried to hold onto the bag, police said, but its straps broke and Noriega fled with it in the direction of the Shaw Ave. School.

Two witnesses who police did not identify chased Noriega around the rear of the school and notified a school security guard, who called 911. A passerby told the witnesses that the suspect was in a yard on Marlo Rd., and the two located him and escorted him to police who had arrived at the scene.

Noriega was charged with third-degree robbery, a class D felony. He was arraigned on Feb. 14 at First District Court in Hempstead.