Thief snatches purse from 12-year-old girl

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are looking for a robber who made off with $300 after snatching a purse out of a 12-year-old girl's hand Sunday night, St. Petersburg police said.

The robbery happened at a coin laundry at 1602 31st Ave. N about 10:30 p.m., police said.

Police said Sasha Lee Gubco, 32, had gone into the coin laundry and left her daughter, Eliska, 12, in a car. The thief, who fled on foot, grabbed a purse that the girl was holding.

The mother and another woman in the laundry chased the thief and briefly wrestled with him before he flashed a 1-1/2 inch knife and made off with the $300 in cash that was in the purse.

No one was hurt in the incident. Anyone with information about this incident can call police at (727) 893-7780. Calls are confidential.

Luis Perez, Times staff writer

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