Another Handbag Theft - Woman Dragged 130 Metres Behind Car

In yet another mugging in Auckland a woman has been dragged 130 metres by a car as she tried to cling onto her handbag.

This is just the latest in a very long string of similar attacks on women in the
Auckland region. They have continued unabated despite a large scale round up of offenders by police in September . See blog entry.

Last month an innocent bystander was shot dead by police, and another injured on an Auckland motorway, following a mass vehicular pursuit of a handbag snatcher that involved 20 police cars and caused severe distruption to the region's traffic system. Blog link

In June 2008 Joanne Wang was killed in front of her young son in an almost identical attack at the Manukau Westfield shopping centre.

This report on today's most recent incident is take from Stuff.co.nz

(N.B. The Tident Tavern is in Onehunga, not Panmure)

"The 45-year-old was walking through the Trident Tavern car park in Panmure about 4.40pm when an occupant of a vehicle grabbed her handbag, said Detective Sergeant Mark Cullimore of Auckland Central CIB.

She was dragged about 130m by the car as the two wrestled for the bag.

The woman suffered severe grazing and bruising to her legs and arms and was quite shaken by the attack, Mr Cullimore said.

She was taken to an Accident and Emergency Centre for treatment.

There was only a vague description of her attacker, who was described as having dark skin and being in a dark coloured car, he said.

Police were keen to hear from any witnesses to the incident."