An alleged wallet theft has been chased away by bystanders in Worcester, police say

Authorities arrested a man Monday morning who was allegedly caught on video trying to rob a victim of her purse before bystanders intervened.

Jake Cross, 40, is charged with aggravated assault and battery on a victim over 60 and unarmed assault with attempted robbery.

According to the Worcester Police Department, officers responding to a report of a robbery at approximately 11:10 a.m. near the 300 block of Main Street were stopped and told that a male suspect had sneaked up behind a female victim, shoved her and attempted to to pull her. bag. The suspect tried to take the bag several times.

Bystanders who witnessed the attempted robbery intervened and chased the suspect away, officials said. They gave the police a description of the suspect.

About 10 minutes later, officers spotted Cross, who matched the suspect’s description, walking around near 660 Main Street. Using video footage of the incident, police were able to positively identify Cross as the attempted robber.

No further information was immediately available.

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