Police: 14-year-old accused of stealing purse in Hamden, fleeing in stolen car

A 14-year-old has been accused of a purse snatching in Hamden last week and fleeing in a stolen vehicle, police said.

The teenager was identified by police in Hamden, New Haven and Fairfield and has been issued a juvenile summons on charges of conspiracy to commit second-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and credit card theft, the Hamden Police Department said late Tuesday.

The robbery was reported last Wednesday at about 8 p.m. in the parking lot of the Dixwell Avenue Price Rite in Hamden, where a woman said she was walking toward the building when she noticed a motorist approach her from behind, police said. The driver, who the woman could only identify as a young man, reached out of the vehicle and grabbed her purse, causing her to fall to the ground, according to Hamden police.

The victim suffered a cut to her forehead.

Shortly after the robbery, a Hamden police officer learned the victim’s credit card had been used at a local store. The officer was able to obtain photographs of the suspect using the store’s video surveillance.

With the assistance of the New Haven Police Department, investigators were able to identify the license plate of the vehicle used in the purse snatching, discovering it had been stolen about two hours prior. Hamden police were able to identify a passenger who was in the car.

The 14-year-old driver was then identified and charged with the assistance of the Fairfield Police Department.

The teen is expected to appear on Monday in the New Haven Superior Court for Juvenile Matters.

Hamden police said the investigation remains open and active.