Citizen Staff Writer
By IRENE HSIAO
Bail was set at $100,000 for a man suspected in a widely publicized East Side purse snatching.
Officers stopped John Paul Flores, 24, of Tucson near Queen Palm Drive and East Escalante Road while he was on his way with a family member to turn himself in, said Sgt. Marco Borboa, a Tucson police spokesman.
Police received anonymous tips after surveillance video from Kmart was released to the media Wednesday.
Cameras caught a man loitering in the parking lot, then grabbing a woman’s purse, dragging her to the ground and sprinting off. The woman, 76, suffered cuts, police said.
Another customer at Kmart, 7055 E. Broadway, chased Flores, tussling with him and retrieving the purse, but Flores escaped, police said.
Flores is being held at the Pima County Jail on charges of robbery and aggravated assault.