It happened at Murphy Express on S Post Oak Road on Tuesday morning.
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Shelby Wild told ABC13 she had just finished pumping gas when a man wearing a red hoodie ran up to her, opened her driver side door, and grabbed her purse plus a deposit bag with about $1,200 inside.
"Oh my gosh, did this really just happened to me?" recalled Wild. "[He] opened the door and just took it, and then I was fighting back, and I turned and he pepper sprayed me."
Wild's eye also took a hit, which is forcing her to wear a bandage. She said the thief hopped into a white 4-door Buick that was waiting for him and took off towards the 610 Loop.
Wild said she ran after the Buick and tried to get her belongings, but wasn't successful.
"Why can't you go get a job and get your own money?" she asked. "Why do you have to steal from people who work hard for their money and take the easy way out?"
Murphy's corporate office issued ABC13 the following statement:
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"Murphy USA is aware of the incident that occurred at our Post Oak Road location on February 4th. Customer safety is of the utmost importance to our organization, and we are assisting the authorities with their investigation of this incident."
As Wild recovers from her injuries, she has advice for people who think they can fight off a robber:
"Definitely a stupid move," she said. "Anything can happen. Do not fight back. Lock your car, even if you're just outside pumping your tank. Lock your car. Hide your purse. Hide it in your trunk, wherever it is not accessible."
Houston Police's robbery division is working the case and does have surveillance video, but ABC13 was told it wasn't available for release yet. A woman found Wild's abandoned purse, but most of her belongings inside were gone.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Houston Police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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