Brazen thief recorded grabbing woman's purse out of car in Bellaire neighborhood

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Bellaire community is reconsidering their own security options after a brazen thief stole a purse out from a woman's vehicle.

The theft happened in broad daylight Saturday. The victim went to the grocery store with her purse on the passenger seat.

Little did she know, she was being targeted and followed.

"This is a safe neighborhood, dead-end streets," neighbor Cal Stowe said. "One of the big attractions of this neighborhood is low crime."

On surveillance video, you can see the suspect get out of a vehicle, running up the driveway and then running back with a purse in hand. He made the dash right after the victim pulled into the garage.

Bellaire Police Chief Byron Holloway says to always be aware of your surroundings and if confronted, do not try to hold on to your purse.

"We've had cases to where people have fought over a package - be it a purse or briefcase or whatever - that had maybe a 100 bucks in the purse, but they've ended up with extensive injuries that takes them months and months to heal," he said.

If for whatever reason something doesn't feel right, go to a public place.

"If they believe they're being followed for any reason, call 911 and then drive directly to the police department," he said. "If you don't know where the police department is, drive to a parking lot or somewhere where there's a lot of activity or a lot of people. The suspect will probably tend to be less likely to rob you in front of a bunch of witnesses."