Concord police release photos of alleged purse-snatcher who injured 93-year-old

CONCORD, Calif. (KTVU) - A 93-year-old woman is still in the hospital recovering from a broken hip she suffered during a purse-snatch robbery Friday afternoon near a bank in Concord, police said. 

Concord Police say they hope that clear pictures of the suspect and the getaway car from the bank's surveillance cameras will help someone identify the suspect, a heavyset man with tattoos on his arms and a dark black beard. Police say at one point, he walked inside the bank, and other surveillance images show him committing the crime. 

Officers responded to the 1000 block of Sunvalley Boulevard just after 4 p.m. on report of a robbery. They found Ann Pederson and her 64-year-old friend, both of whom had their purses stolen.

Greg Pederson, the victim's son, says it was a shock when he heard his elderly mother was in the hospital with a broken hip sustained during a robbery. 

"She was coming to the end of a day running errands," he said. "She got her hair done and she was just getting a couple bucks at the bank."

His mother was going to the Bank of America near Concord's Sunvalley Mall with her friend when they were robbed out in the open in front of many witnesses. Concord police say surveillance cameras captured video of the man walking up behind the two women and snatching their purses. 

"They were holding hands assisting each other into the bank. The 64-year-old had both purses in her hand and therefore when the suspect came up and grabbed them, it spun her around, pulling them [both] to the ground," said Corporal Summer Galer with Concord police. 

Ann Pederson's injuries were so serious she was taken to John Muir Medical Center in Concord to undergo surgery. "She's in an incredible amount of pain," said Greg Pederson.

Surveillance cameras also captured the suspect driving away in a getaway vehicle with tinted windows. Witnesses also saw the suspect flee and police say they're identifying the vehicle as possibly a Chevrolet Malibu. 

The victim's son says his mother has been a proud resident of Contra Costa County for more than 45 years. And now the loving grandmother is struggling to recover.

"When an elderly person endures a hip fracture or broken hip, it's a very complicated and major surgery with a lot of risk, including possible death," said Greg Pederson. 

Detectives are asking for help identifying the suspect. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at (925) 603-5817.