HOUSTON – More Houston women are coming forward after seeing KPRC2’s recent stories involving violent purse snatchings in the area.
VIDEO: Purse snatching caught on camera
Josephine Cabrera said when she set her purse down on the hood of her car, she didn't expect what happened next.
"I didn't even see them pull up," Cabrera said.
She said early Sunday morning her purse was stolen before she had time to realize what happened.
"I just know it was a male and he looked slender," Cabrera said.
STORY: Purse snatcher caught on camera outside grocery store
She said in a flash, the thief was gone and the memory of him was a blur.
"It happened so fast, I didn't even see what he looked like," Cabrera said.
She said her mind was fixated on grabbing her bathing suit from her car, which was parked on San Jacinto Street.
"Honest truth, I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't looking at my surroundings," Cabrera said.
On April 30, a woman had her purse snatched as she was loading groceries into her car outside the Hong Kong Food Market off the Gulf Freeway. She tried to hold on to her purse, but she was thrown to the ground and a man eventually ripped it away from her.
VIDEO: Woman thrown to ground during purse snatching
"If they're taking your purse, just give it to them," said defense expert Barbara Traylor, who practices martial arts at Dark Gift Combat.
Cabrera said she is happy she wasn't holding on to her purse, but she still lost her glasses, her driver's license, credit cards and Social Security information in a split second.
"They have all my personal information," Cabrera said.
Self-defense experts and police advised if someone tries to steal your bag, you should let them.
It’s a window of opportunity that's only slightly cracked open to let the breeze in, but big enough for a robber to strike.
STORY: Woman thrown to ground during purse snatching outside grocery store
“Just that fast, 30 seconds or less,” said Malvin Traylor, a self-defense expert.
More #Houston women are coming forward after seeing #KPRC2's recent stories involving violent purse snatchings. Police say if this happens to you, give up your purse. If you do have to defend yourself, this video shows you how: http://bit.ly/2tnq5gK
Posted by KPRC2 / Click2Houston on Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Traylor and his wife, Barbara, own Dark Gift Combat. They teach reality-based martial arts and self-defense. One of their main mantras is to follow the three Ds: detect, diffuse and defend or destroy.
They want you to "detect," which means to always pay attention to your surroundings. "Diffuse" means you can try to talk your way out of it and "defend" is your last resort to -- fight back.
The couple demonstrated a scenario in which Barbara locks her car and starts walking in the parking lot. She is approached by Malvin, who tries to attack her. She stops him by poking her fingers into his eyes and running away.
To learn more Dark Gift Combat, click link here.
