HAVERHILL — One of three men police say was involved in a violent purse snatching on Fountain Street Wednesday afternoon that left a 57-year-old city woman with facial injuries has been arrested, police said.
"The investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected," Detective Capt. Alan Ratte said yesterday.
Dana Foust, 34, of 96 Central Ave., Salisbury, was arrested at the police station about 5 p.m. Thursday and charged with unarmed robbery.
Foust is one of three participants in the robbery but did not assault the woman during the purse snatching, police said.
Ratte said the fact that the victim followed the car that the attacker, another man, and Foust were escaping in and was able to get the license plate number was a big help to the investigation.
Ratte said "aggressive investigative work" by Detective Glen Fogarty helped crack the case.
The victim's purse has also been recovered, Ratte said.
The victim had just left the Social Security office on Main Street and had walked to her car, parked on Fountain Street when a man approached and said "excuse me, ma'am," police said.
When she looked up, the man struck her in the face with the palm of his hand and pulled on her purse until the strap broke and he ran to the waiting car.
Although she was bleeding heavily from the nose and suffered a cut to the left side of her nose, the victim got into her car and followed the car the attacker had gotten into until she was able to get a license plate number, then drove to the emergency room at the Merrimack Valley Hospital for treatment of her injuries.
