HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - An attentive off-duty Duxbury police officer is being credited with foiling a purse-snatching attempt at a restaurant in Hingham on Friday night.
Mike Bolze and his wife were having dinner at the Plaza Azteca around 7:30 p.m. when he noticed a “suspicious” man approach a nearby table occupied by a small group of women, according to the Duxbury Police Department.
Bolze then witnessed the man remove a purse from one woman’s jacket that was draped over a chair, prompting him to chase after the suspect, who quickly ran off.
The suspect fled the parking lot in an erratic manner, nearly running down several pedestrians after Bolze identified himself as a police officer, authorities said. The man then tossed the purse from the window as he drove away.
Bolze recovered the purse and quickly returned it to the victim to the applause of patrons in the establishment, according to police. All of the victim’s belongings were accounted for.
The suspect fled the area in a late-model black Cadillac Escalade. Bolze was able to provide responding officers with a plate number, which is said to have come back as a rental vehicle.
An investigation is ongoing.
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