Purse Snatching

 

Purse snatching presents an interesting legal quandary because it can be charged either as robbery, grand theft or petty theft, depending on the facts of the case. It has been our experience that the vast majority of purse snatching cases are charged as robberies
.  

Theft in any degree is “a lesser-included offense” to robbery.  That means that it contains all the elements as robbery. The difference is that robbery includes the added requirement of “force or fear.”  When a person wrests personal property from another person, who resists the effort to do so, the crime is robbery, not merely theft, and the prosecutor will charge it as such. 

Our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers (South Bay criminal defense lawyers, Torrance criminal defense lawyers) will thoroughly review the facts of your case.  Perhaps, the victim was not aware of the taking when it happened, as in the case when the victim is not looking and the purse is taken from the table where she is sitting, or scissors are used to cut the strap.  Grabbing or snatching property from the hand has often been held to be grand larceny and not robbery.” (Case: People v. Morales, 49 Cal.App.3d at p.139)  

Maybe the victim did not offer up any resistance to the taking. “Rolling a drunk, picking a pocket or snatching a purse from an unsuspecting and unresisting victim [citation] may properly bring forth a felony count of larceny from the person [citation]; but, because of the lack of physical force involved, these actions will not support any robbery charge.’”(Case: People v. Jackson (2005) 128 Cal.App.4th 1326, 1331)

Accordingly, our lawyers may be able to file a motion to dismiss the robbery count. 

By statute, a robbery may be committed by a taking of property from the person of another by means of force or fear.

Our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers (South Bay criminal defense lawyers, Torrance criminal defense lawyers) have a combined experience of more than 50 years defending persons accused of robbery in the context of purse-snatching.  Our founding partners, Bruce McGregor and Robert Ernenwein, are former Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys.  Robert Ernenwein, one of our Co-founders, is Certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization..  Robert Ernenwein and Bruce McGregor have both been named “Super Lawyers” by Los Angeles Magazine.  Robert Ernenwein has appeared as a legal analyst on multiple cable news programs, including Fox News.  The experience and capabilities of the lawyers at McGregor & Ernenwein are unmatched. 
 

Our extensive experience and knowledge give us the tools we need to successfully challenge robbery (purse-snatching) charges.

The advantages are many.  By hiring our office, you are securing the help of a law firm with established, reputable, aggressive criminal defense lawyers with over half a century of combined experience. Our founding partners are former Los Angeles County prosecutors and bear the distinguished designation of “Super Lawyers.”  Few, if any, other attorneys have this impressive combination of background, skill and distinction. 
 

Our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers & Orange County criminal defense lawyers represent clients throughout Southern California, including Alhambra, Arcadia, Artesia, Avalon, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bell, Bell gardens, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Brentwood Air, Burbank, Calabasas, Carson, Cerritos, City of Industry, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Covina, Cudahy, Culver City, Diamond Bar, Downey, Duarte, Eagle Rock, East Los Angeles, El Monte, El Segundo, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Huntington Park, Inglewood, Inland Empire, Irwindale, Irvine, La Canada Flintridge, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lawndale, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Lynwood, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Maywood, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Norwalk, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Playa Del Rey, Pomona, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rosemead, San Dimas, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Marino, Seal Beach, Santa Clarita, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Signal Hill, South El Monte, South Gate, South Pasadena, Temple City, Torrance, Vernon, Watts, Walnut, West Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Westminster, and Whittier. 

Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Call us now at 877-338-4489 to reserve your free consultation.