Citizens jump into action after 69-year-old Monroe woman's purse is snatched

MONROE, Mich. (WXYZ) - Mary Miles has lived most of her life in Monroe. She was recently reminded of just how many kind people there are in her community when strangers jumped into action after she had her purse snatched on Monday morning at a liocal Walgreen's.

"There's a lot of good people in Monroe," says 69-year-old Miles.

Police say 34-year-old Shane Howard swiped Miles' purse from her shopping cart while she was loading some eggs into her car.

"He just ran right past me. All I seen was the back of him going!" says Miles.

Within seconds, several strangers went after the suspect. Despite their efforts, the suspect disappeared into the woods.

But soon after employees of the Monroe Public Schools administration building jumped into action.

"We're in the break room and someone pointed out .. Hey, there's a guy with a purse!" says Ryan Kunzelman.

Kunzelman and his co-workers didn't know what had just happened at Walgreen's, but they knew something was strange. Kunzelman says of the suspect, "He really looked suspicious. He was creeping around."

Kunzelman confronted the suspect who was lurking outside the building.

"I asked him again, 'Whose purse is that?' He said, 'It's not yours!'" says Kunzelman.

Kunzelman says the suspect started running, but Assistant Superintendent Ryan McLeod cut him off.

That's when Kunzelman says, the next thing he knew, he was on top of the suspect. Kunzelman held him down until police arrived.

Soon after, Mary Miles got her purse back and today she got to meet Kunzelman, one of her many Good Samaritans, and say thanks!

"See, God makes a lot of good people," says Miles.