Recognize this Burien purse thief?

BURIEN, Wash. — King County deputies are hoping someone will recognize a man who stole a purse from a woman’s shopping cart at a Burien grocery store.

On Sept. 9 at 2 p.m., a deputy was called to the Safeway in the 12700 block of 1st Avenue South for a report of a purse theft.

A woman told the deputy that she turned her back for a moment while shopping and discovered her purse was missing from her cart.

The crime was captured on surveillance video.

As the victim is looking into a dairy case, a man walks by and looks down at the woman’s purse. While her back is toward him, the suspect grabs the purse and quickly walks away. Another camera showed the man in another aisle looking through the purse.

After taking the wallet, the man then stuffs the purse onto a shelf. Another camera showed him leaving the store before getting into a gray sedan and driving away.

A store employee later helped the woman look for her purse. It was eventually found on the shelf with the wallet missing. Deputies said the wallet contained the victim’s driver’s license, a credit card and $180 in cash.

The man is described as dark-skinned, possibly of Asian-Pacific Islander descent. The gray vehicle he was driving may be a Nissan Altima.

Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office 24-hour non-emergency number at 206-296-3311 and refer to case #C21028423.

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