Thief knocks down elderly woman, steals purse

Thief knocks down elderly woman, steals purse

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Story Published: Jul 3, 2008 at 6:04 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 10:39 PM PDT

By Bryan Johnson

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SEATTLE -- Ida Baker has seen better days.

The 86-year-old woman broke her arm when a thief pushed her down to the ground and ran off with her purse.

Baker was attacked shortly after she got off a bus at a SeaTac stop around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. Baker said she had left her North Seattle home at a much earlier time to go to her sister's house, but had been delayed after missing a connection downtown.

As she walked, Baker said she didn't hear anyone behind her. She didn't hear anyone say anything either. Then suddenly, she was hit.

"He hit me on the back of the head, knocked me to the ground and reached over and took my purse," she said.

Baker said she had a plan in place for such an attack. But when it actually happened, things didn't go as she had imagined.

"I had the purse strap over my shoulder. I felt if any guy tried to grab it, I would kick him where it hurts. But I didn't have a chance to do that, the way he was standing," she said.

But Baker did have one surprise for the thief -- there was only $1 in the purse and nothing else of value.

"I don't have credit cards. I never did," she said.

Baker is feisty, but she hurts. The fall rebroke an arm she first broke last month. It also left her with bruises, bad memories and thoughts about people.

"These last two generations bug me to no end. They don't know what they are talking about, really," she said.

Police have recovered Baker's purse and are examining it for DNA evidence. Baker, meanwhile, plans to continue taking the bus.

"You do what you've got to do," she said.

The attack wasn't the first time Baker had been victimized. She paid a couple of alleged scam artists $11,500 to put a tiny patch on her roof. Baker believes God will get all of them in due time.

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