A man has been charged with robbing a wheelchair-bound New Westminster woman of her wallet.
On Tuesday, police say a man came up behind the victim, violently pushing her wheelchair into the roadway. He was apparently laughing at the time.
The incident happened at 6th Avenue and 7th Street just before 6 p.m.
The victim saw the suspect go through her bag and steal her wallet.
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The man fled on foot, but the incident happened in front of several bystanders including a off-duty New Westminster firefighter.
They chased the suspect into Moody Park, where he met up with a woman.
Bystanders tried to detain the pair but they got away. New West police found the pair a short time later.
28-year-old Michael James Starblanket of New Westminster is charged with count of robbery and one count of obstructing a police officer.
He will appear in court on May 23.
Police say they have checked with Transit Police and don’t believe Starblanket is connected to the theft of an iPad from a wheelchair-bound woman on Monday. One suspect has been arrested in that incident.
According to court records, Starblanket has appeared in front of a judge 43 times since 2003.
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