Thief steals elderly woman's purse, throws her to the ground, police say

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KFSN) -- Los Angeles police are searching for a thief who followed an elderly woman and snatched her purse. The incident was caught on an apartment complex's surveillance camera in broad daylight.

The 78-year-old woman stopped to hold the door open for the person behind her.

That is when the thief lunges forward and takes the victim's purse after throwing her to the ground.

Lt. Hamed Mohammadi of the Los Angeles Police Department said, "Luckily when she fell down on the ground she didn't hit her head on the glass or on the floor."

The woman suffered minor injuries to her back. Authorities believe the incident was a crime of opportunity.

They say the woman was targeted because of her age and because she was alone.