NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Police in Tennessee are investigating after a man robbed a woman at a Nashville Walmart, dragging her with his car after she refused to let go of her purse.
The Metro Nashville Police were called to the store around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday after Kristina Calvin had just finished shopping. Calvin had purchased two carts’ worth of items, and was loading them into her trunk when she noticed a strange hand reaching into one of her her carts.
“I turned around to get another bag of groceries and just saw a hand reach into my cart and grab my purse, and I looked up and it was a man running,” said Calvin.
Calvin, however, refused to let the purse go without a fight, holding onto her bag while the suspect attempted to jump in his minivan, which was parked a couple of spaces down.
“He pushed me and said, ‘Get away from me woman,’ and then that’s when my response was, ‘Well just give me my phone. You can have everything else just please give me my phone,'” said Calvin, who explained that she wanted her phone because she didn’t want to lose the photos she had taken of her children.
The two went back and forth, struggling over the purse. Calvin told WKRN the suspect even put his car in reverse in an attempt to shake her off, but Calvin held on, trying to draw attention of any bystanders by screaming and honking the suspect’s car horn.
Calvin continued to hold on as the suspect drove away, but eventually fell to the ground.
“I had road rash from the top of my thigh down to my right leg,” explained Calvin. “Everyone tells you it’s like fight or flight instincts or something happens, and I guess my instincts were to fight.”
Calvin walked away with a swollen ankle, which will be evaluated later this week by a doctor. Using a location app on her phone, Calvin’s husband was also able to find her device, which the robber had apparently ditched in a parking lot about 10 minutes from the Walmart.
“It doesn’t matter where you are, it doesn’t matter if it’s a beautiful day, you can be taken advantage of when you least expect it, so make sure you are always watching your surroundings,” said Calvin.
The suspect is described as a white or possibly Hispanic man, approximately 6 feet tall with a slender build and dark hair. He wore gray sweatpants, a gray sweater, a dark-colored beanie and a blue facemask. The suspects’ vehicle is described as a white Dodge Caravan, possibly a 2010 model with front passenger-side damage.
Authorities are encouraging anyone with knowledge of the crime to to call Crime Stoppers at (615) 74-CRIME.