This Is the Face of the Crook Who Picked the Wrong Woman to Rob...and He Paid for It in a Very Painful Way

A would-be purse snatcher planned to rob a Mississippi woman and then flee the scene a little bit richer. He left with only damaged pride and criminal charges after the aforementioned woman beat him up good.

Anthony Harris, of Prichard, Miss., planned to swipe Bridgett Bolen's purse as she was vacuuming her car at a Shell gas station in Mobile on Friday. He got a painful wake-up call when Bolen instead chose to confront him, delivering a swift kick to his groin followed by a solid punch to the face.

Harris would later need stitches under his left eye. He was also reportedly wanted for a similar incident earlier in the week where he stole a 72-year-old woman's purse.

Anthony Harris of Prichard (Mobile County Sheriff's Office)

Bolen recounted the incident in an interview with the Mississippi Press:

"I looked up and he was getting my purse and keys and I said, 'Ahhhh, no you didn't,''' Bolen said. "I don't know how I got to the other side of the car, whether I flew over the hood or what. I guess I ran around the back of the car."

When Bolen caught up to the 6-foot-4 Harris, he was near the front-right panel of her vehicle.

"I yelled 'Sir' and he turned around and I kicked him between the legs," Bolen said. "I was trying to pull my keys away and when he bent over and got about eye level, smack."

Bolen delivered a right jab to Harris' left eye.

After connecting with a punch to his face, Bolen says she grabbed her keys and purse and took off running into the station restroom, locking the door behind her. She came out when Mobile police officers arrived.

Two men who witnessed the attempted robbery reportedly restrained Harris while another woman vacuuming her car nearby called 911 to alert the police.

"I didn't think. I just did it. People at church wanted me to start a self-defense class. It can happen. I never really thought it would happen to me, but you need to know what to do in case it does happen to you," she said.

Bolen later discovered that she hit the would-be robber so hard, she actually broke her hand.

Dr. Joseph McGowin reportedly treated her for free, telling the woman: "You're my hero, this one is on me."

"According to metro jail records, Harris was charged with possession of marijuana and remains in jail," the Mississippi Press reports.

–

[related]