- The Washington Times - Thursday, June 29, 2017

An attempted robbery outside a North Carolina Walmart ended Wednesday with the pregnant victim jumping into her SUV and careening into the suspect before he could escape.

Christine Braswell, 26, is is charged with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon for mowing down purse snatching suspect Robert Raines in an Asheville parking lot. The woman told police that she found Mr. Raines rummaging through her car, at which point he sprinted off with her purse.

“Me being five months pregnant, I chased a little ways then come back, jumped in the car, threw it in gear and come across the curb and ran him over. I was not going to let him get away with it. It’s not right, it’s not fair.”

Video provided to the station shows Ms. Brawell’s red SUV accelerate into the man as a woman screams, “Get out of the way!”

“He had her purse and was pulling all of her stuff out,” witness Blake Bennett told the station.”Then me and my friend told him to put it down and ’What are you doing?’”

Mr. Raines was treated for injuries at the scene and charged with felony breaking and entering, larceny and misdemeanor damage to property.


SEE ALSO: Walmart ‘Lego Batman’ shoplifting suspect stopped by off-duty cop dressed as caped crusader


• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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