Athlete vs. purse snatcher; guess who won
Ex-track runner responds to scream; suspect’s in jail
Wearing only flip-flops, a good Samaritan chased down aman who had just snatched awoman’s purse, and two other drivers boxed in the suspect’s car until police arrived.
It happened Wednesday night in a Publix parking lot at 1005W. Gateway Blvd. in Boynton Beach.
“Publix was closing and Iwas in relaxed clothing,” said Corey Wyatt, 39, of Boynton Beach, who went to the store to get drinks for his kids. “I thought Iwas just going to run in and out.”
As he did, Marsha Jones, 56, of Boynton Beach, was opening her car door but left her purse in her shopping cart.
“Itwas something I never do. I don’t know why I left it,” Jones said about her purse. She could only watch as a man grabbed the purse and sprinted away.
Wyatt heard her scream: “Ah! He’s got my purse!”
“Shewas an older lady. Iwas like ohmy God, I’ve got to help her,” Wyatt said.
A100- and 200-meter sprinter in high school, Wy att wasn’t ready for a race, but seeing the purse thief about 20 feet ahead of him he knew he could catch him. He
didn’t care that the thief was taller than him and about 30 pounds heavier.
“Iwas pretty fast. I came out ofmy shoes and chased him down barefoot,” he said. “If itwas a teen or someone in the 30s, I wouldn’t have done it.”
But once Wyatt knocked the man down, he fought back, hitting Wyatt with punches and pulling his hair.
“Iwas pulling the purse. When I did, he swung at me a couple times. I hit him back and I thought itwas over with,” he said. “Then he grabbed me again. Iwas like wow, this guy was crazy.”
Wyatt said he knocked the man down again. The thief stole his phone and went to an SUV at Golden Phoenix, a Chinese restaurant down the street where his girlfriend was waiting for him.
Two other men who saw what happened used their vehicles and blocked the SUV until officers arrived, Jones said.
“I guess hewas scared hewas going to jail. Itwas like a movie,” Wyatt said.
Arrested was Gregory Reneson, 40, of Tavares, northwest of Orlando.
Police also arrested his girlfriend, Tamlyn Dexter, 25, on a charge of driving with a suspended license. She told police the two had gone to Publix to steal drinks because they didn’t have any money, according to the report.
Inside the SUV, investigators found five syringes, a burned spoon and small plastic baggies, police said.
Reneson was taken to Bethesda Memorial Hospital for treatment for cuts on his knee, elbow, side and wrist. Hewas later taken to Palm Beach County Jail, where hewas held without bond.
He faces robbery, robbery by sudden snatching and drug paraphernalia charges.
Wyatt found his iPhone in the parking lot, and he said Jones got her purse back— broken but with everything inside.
“He got my purse back. I don’t know how much thanking I can do, but it was a blessing,” Jones said.
She also thanked the two other men who blocked in Reneson’s SUV. Their names were not available.
“Us females, we have to figure out another way for these criminals to stop taking our stuff,” Jones said. “We’ve just got to be so careful. Keep our property closer to us. If you’re going out late, take someone with you or something.”