What started off as a normal day of shopping left two women shaken. Both were targets of purse snatchings. One woman was able to pull her bag away from the thief. The other was not so lucky.

Heidi Taam said she put her purse down in her shopping cart for just a second as she was loading her car.

A second is all it took the would be thief to swoop by on his bike and grab Heidi Taam’s purse.

“I just felt something and I just turned and out of the corner of my eye saw someone reaching for my bag and I just like just grabbed and (yelled),” said Taam.

Taam was able to pull her purse away from the man before he rode off with it. 
She went into the store to report what happened and soon found out she wasn’t alone

“It was extremely traumatizing. I felt like I was violated, he took everything. he got away with my purse, my phone, my wallet, my driver’s license, my credit cards, cash, everything was in there,” said Janell Bourgeois.

Bourgeois was in the Costco parking lot just around the corner. 

KHON: “How close was your purse from where you were standing?”
Bourgeois: “Inches, inches.” 
KHON: “What were you doing when he swooped by on his bike?”
Bourgeois: ” I think i had either just put something in or came out. i don’t even know, it happened so fast, all i know was my cart was literally in front of me cause I only had a few items.  so that’s how fast it was.”

Bourgeois chased the man across Dillingham Blvd. but wasn’t able to catch him.

Both women were shocked because it happened in broad daylight.

“I was thinking, I must be crazy. It’s like one o’clock in the afternoon. Who’s going to attack me?” said Taam.

“And you would think with the amount of people at Costco, all around, waiting for parking. He literally rode his bike right in front of the entrance. Through people and cars and just made his way out with it,” said Bourgeois. 

Heidi and Janell said the incident is a stark reminder for them to always be more aware of their surroundings. 

KHON2 has spoken to Honolulu Police Department before and they offered useful safety tips to keep in mind while doing your holiday shopping:

–     Be cautious on the way back to your vehicle.
–     Bring only what you need and leave your purse at home if possible.
–     Carry your ID, money, credit cards in a wallet in your pocket.
–     Hold your items firmly and do not leave them unattended.
–     Never put your purse in the shopping cart. 
–     Don’t overload yourself with too many packages.