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Police: Man Offers To Help Elderly Woman Carry Groceries, Then Steals Her Purse At Knifepoint

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police are searching for a man they say pretended to help an elderly woman in Brooklyn, then whipped out a knife and stole her purse.

The 72-year-old woman was weighed down by shopping bags Wednesday at the intersection of Avenue P and East Ninth Street in Midwood.

Police said man offered to carry the bags, gaining her trust by assisting with her groceries. Then, he flashed and knife and demanded she hand over her purse.

CBS2's Dave Carlin spoke with the victim, who lives on the block. She said she's physically fine but did not want to come out of her home and talk about what happened.

The heartless bait-and-switch crime saddened her neighbors.

"You can't do anything, I guess. You got to be careful now. My daughter, my kids don't want me out. I'd be a recluse but I'm 90 years old," one woman said. "Let me tell you, it's a very crazy world, crazy things I never heard of or saw in my life."

"I don't trust. After what I hear, you have to be very careful," said a man.

Police want help tracking down the man with a bald head and red hoodie, who they estimate is in his 40s, before he can strike again.

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