Purse Snatcher who struck in Massapequa Arrested

This story was posted by Edward Robinson. It was written and reported by Michael Ganci.

A Massapequa Park man busted for stealing an 86-year-old woman's purse at Stop & Shop Sunday allegedly pulled the same stunt three other times in Freeport and Massapequa.

Margaret Smith was standing in the fruit aisle at Stop & Shop just after 1 p.m. Sunday, when Michael A. Hammond, 24, of Massapequa Park, took her purse out of her shopping cart.

Smith, a North Bellmore resident, had her back turned while she looked for fruit, but Maureen Pizzaruso, also of North Bellmore, spotted Hammond and screamed out for help.

While Hammond got out of the fruit aisle, an undercover federal officer took him down before he was able to leave the store. Police were called, and he was taken into custody.

As Hammond was being transported to the First Precinct, he broke away from police custody and ran eastbound on Merrick Road. He was quickly arrested, but struggled with officers as he was returned to the precinct, cops said.

An investigation revealed that Hammond had allegedly stolen the pocket book of a 67-year-old woman earlier in the day at Waldbaums in North Massapequa. Also, police said that, on May 1, he committed two similar thefts at Waldbaums and Stop & Shop in Freeport.

Heroin was also found in Hammon's vehicle, police said.

Hammond is charged with four counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and second-degree escape. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday at First District Court in Hempstead.