Thieves injured a woman while snatching her purse in parking lot

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Saturday afternoon of grocery shopping turned into one of the scariest moments of one local woman's life.

"I would never think that something like this could happen in the middle of the day, brought daylight, packed parking lot," said Melissa Martinez.

"It happened in the matter of seconds."

The 5th grade teacher had just finished her shopping here at this Sam's Club on Fuqua.

"I was parked in the first one, and I was loading the stuff in my car, she said. "My back door was open, and I was putting stuff in there in the backseat."

She reached out for something in front of her when all of a sudden she became the victim of a crime.

"Out of nowhere, this girl just showed up and started grabbing my purse," Martinez said. "I was dumbfounded, I couldn't believe it, the instinct of the whole fight or flight.

But, Martinez decided to fight.

"I was just holding on trying to get it away from her," she said.

She says the girl jumped in a black Dodge Ram, and Martinez was still holding on to her purse.

The suspects slammed on the gas, she said, and started to take off.

"I was being dragged, I freaked out, and so I decided that oh my God I just started to let go."

Martinez' body hit the ground.

"I remember looking up and I saw the tire go right by my head and it ran over my entire arm, and I just started crying and screaming, oh my god they ran over my arm!"

Some good Samaritans helped Martinez and call 911.

According to police this is the third incident of its kind in the shopping center parking lot in less than 2 weeks. And victims are said to have given the same suspect description: Two black women in a truck.

Investigators are looking into the incidents. Meanwhile, Martinez is hoping someone can come forward with more information. "Something, that's all --- part of the plates---or something, because they need to be stopped."

Martinez feels fortunate she lived to tell her story. "It could've been a completely different day for my family."

And she's warning other women to beware of this type of crime.

"No matter what always pay attention to what you're doing, where you're going, and who's around at any moment."