Police: Purse snatcher caught trying to report car stolen

SAN JUAN - A Pharr man accused of snatching purses while he leaned out the window of his car was arrested when he tried to report his vehicle stolen.

Jorge Palacios' one-day theft spree ended Friday morning at the Pharr Police Department while one of his victims recovered from injuries sustained when he dragged her across the parking lot of a local market, police said.

The 39-year-old suspect cased the parking lot of the Junior's Supermarket near the intersection of Raul Longoria Road and Farm-to-Market Road 495 for 12 minutes Thursday before choosing his victim, said Rolando Garcia, a San Juan police investigator.

The woman, whose name authorities declined to release, held fast to her purse as Palacios reached out his car window about noon, grabbed a hold of the purse and sped away, Garcia said. She was dragged some 25 feet before Palacios made a sharp turn and she tumbled to the ground.

She was treated and released from McAllen Medical Center on Thursday.

"Her left arm is just hamburger meat," Garcia said.

Palacios also apparently robbed a woman at a McAllen business earlier in the day, Garcia said. Calls to the McAllen Police Department were not returned Friday night.

Both incidents were caught on camera and investigators were able to determine the car belonged to Palacios. One of the women positively identified him from a photo lineup.

Then on Friday morning, Palacios tried to file a stolen vehicle report with Pharr police, Garcia said.

Friday afternoon the suspected purse-snatcher was charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony for which he could face up to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted.

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