Hit-And-Run and Robbery Sunday Afternoon

A 51-year-old good Samaritan, attempting to foil a purse snatching, witnessed a hit-and-run Sunday afternoon.  The suspected fled the Billings Kmart parking lot after he grabbed the purse of an 82-year-old woman, causing her to fall.  Billings Police responded at about 2:40 p.m. to the Kmart at 2424 Central Ave., where the unidentified good Samaritan witnessed the crime and tried to stop the thief.

The suspect got into a white van but the good Samaritan held onto the vehicle, attempting to prevent him from fleeing.  In the process a bystander was sandwiched between the van and a Ford F-250.  Police said the man was taken to St. Vincent Healthcare with injuries that did not appear to be life threatening.

The suspect fled the scene with a passenger in the van.  Little identifying information is currently available.  The investigation is ongoing.