DALLAS -- Bar owners, police, and customers are warning about serial purse thieves at some Dallas hot spots.
Justin Bradshaw and his date were alone in a bar in the West Village Monday when another couple walked in and boldly sat right next to them.
"I thought it was a little odd that they were sitting that close to us," said Bradshaw. "Considering the whole place was empty. There was no one in here."
Bradshaw said he did not want to be rude and move away. Surveillance video taken at the Lemon Bar showed they should have moved immediately.
Less than a minute later, video captured a woman sliding Bradshaw's date's purse over, moving it behind her back, and rummaging through it.
"This couple matches the description of previous incidents," said Kirk Horton, West Village security director.
West Village security said the purse snatchers, described as heavy-set African Americans in their 30's or 40's, claim to be mother and son.
They are making the rounds.
"They'd scope places out, see who's sitting there," Horton said. "They'd sit adjacent to them. In the one incident, they actually sat behind them and when the one party got up to go use the restroom, they just reached around behind them and took the purse."
Dallas police could not confirm, but said it is likely the purse thieves are responsible for other snatching around the city.
Authorities want customers to be warned, be wary, and be aware.
Justin Bradshaw said the duo might have gotten away with a theft, if his date had not reached for her purse before they left.
"And she's like, 'Where's my purse,'" he recalled. "And we're looking, we stand up, it's not underneath the table. I look over, it's under their table."
He and his date confronted the crooked couple, reclaimed the purse, and informed the bar management.
"I was like, 'Do you mind if I check your purse because both of her credit cards are missing?'” recalled Whitney Britton, manager of the Lemon Bar. "And she was like, 'No. Don't touch me, you can't touch me."
Credit cards were found on the floor after the thieves left. Lemon Bar management called police.
Whitney Britton also followed the alleged robbers to their car and wrote down the license plate number. She was told the car traced back to a rental company.
Dallas police said crooks often rent cars so they cannot be traced.
Bradshaw, who runs a fitness boot camp, could have physically stopped the duo from driving off, but chose to publicly expose their exploits on television, instead.
Experts side keeping your purse close to your body and with arm over it makes it harder for someone to grab the bag.
Anyone with information on the duo, should contact Dallas police.
E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com
