Thieves Target Two Tulsa Women Out For Lunch

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OKLAHOMA – A lunch date turned scary for two women at Tulsa's Utica Square, when a thief stole one woman's purse.

The women, in their 80's, say it will be awhile before they decide to venture out for lunch again. They'll feel much safer once the robber and his getaway driver are behind bars.

The women were quite shaken up by the whole experience, especially given that it happened in a busy area, right in the middle of the day just before noon.

Betty and Elaine have been friends for 40 years and have been through many experiences together, but nothing like what they encountered recently when they decided to go out to lunch.

"She was screaming, he took my purse, he took my purse," Elaine said.

Elaine and Betty went to Utica Square and parked in the lot east of Olive Garden. They walked up to the restaurant and just as they go to the door, about to go in, Betty's purse slid off her shoulder, down to her forearm and that's when the thief snatched it right off of her and ran.

"Speechless. It's a horrible feeling, of course," she said.

The suspect ran into a car waiting at the stop sign, a red HHR, jumped into the passenger seat and they took off, leaving and Elaine and Betty more than a little flustered. The only thing he took from her wallet was Betty's driver's license and her VISA card and headed straight to Wal-Mart.

"The suspects claimed I was their grandmother and tried to purchase something," Betty said. "The manager said he would need some ID, so they gave him my driver's license and credit card. Then, he said he would need to call me to verify and asked for my phone number."

Betty and Elaine were too shook up to eat that day and are still more than a little leery about making their next lunch date,

The thieves tossed Betty's purse a few blocks away. A good Samaritan found it, saw the name of Betty's church inside and took it to there, so she got everything back, except the cash.

Police recovered her Visa and driver's license from Walmart, where the suspects were caught on surveillance video.

These two ladies recommend others pay attention to their surroundings and also keep a copy of all the cards in your wallet, just in case.