2 Men Knock Tosa Woman Down, Steal Her Purse

A 53-year-old Wauwatosa woman who has difficulty walking because of bad knees was knocked to the sidewalk and robbed Sunday evening, and having lost her cell phone in the robbery, could do nothing but wait for someone to help her.

At 7:54 p.m. Sunday, a caller reported finding the woman in the 1400 block of North 70th Street, distraught and saying she had been robbed.

Police officers found the victim leaning against a tree, and she told them that the robbery had occurred about half an hour to 45 minutes earlier. She said she had to wait for someone to come along because her cell phone had been stolen and she was unable to walk farther.

She told officers she had been walking gingerly from the bus on West North Avenue toward a friend’s house when she realized that someone was walking close behind her. She told officers that without turning to look, she said, “I’m sorry I walk so slow, why don’t you just go around me?”

But a voice said, “Shut up!” and then she was pushed in the back. She fell to the sidewalk and saw that two young men were standing over her, one of whom grabbed her purse off her shoulder before they both ran. She could give no description of her assailants.

She said her knees hurt her badly and she just sat on the sidewalk and cried until a younger woman came along, listened to her story and called police.