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Teen girls charged after woman, 80, robbed

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 09/12/2012 12:42 PM

Two 15-year-old girls are facing charges after an 80-year-old woman was knocked to the ground and robbed of her purse while walking along Main Street in the North End in the middle of the morning Tuesday.

Winnipeg police said the victim was walking along Main near Cathedral Avenue at about 9:15 a.m., when she was approached from behind by two teenage girls. One of the girls grabbed the woman’s purse while the other pushed her to the ground.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the woman initially refused to release her purse and she was briefly dragged on the ground before the purse came free and the girls took off.

Passersby who witnessed the attack chased after the suspects, who dropped the purse.

Police were contacted and officers arrested two girls matching the descriptions a short distance away in the 100 block of Machray Avenue.

One of the girls was detained in custody while the other was released on a promise to appear in court.