Bloomington Police nab suspected purse thief

Bloomington police nabbed a suspected purse snatcher Tuesday.

Twenty-eight-year-old Elijah D. Reichmann, of  Martinsville, was arrested with preliminary charges of armed robbery, a class B felony and resisting law enforcement with injury, a class D felony.

He was caught after he allegedly stole a purse from a 19-year-old female IU student the same day at Seventh and Grant streets, said Lt. David Drake of the Bloomington
Police Department.

At about 11:30 a.m., Reichmann allegedly accosted the student and then attempted to steal her purse, Drake said.

The victim allegedly struggled with him and eventually the purse’s strap broke and Reichmann ran off.

Two men who witnessed the crime chased him to 10th and Grant streets, where they fought, Drake said.

One man hit Reichmann with a broomstick as he wrestled him to the ground. BPD Sgt. Brad Seifers then arrived on scene.

Reichmann managed to run away from the two men and Seifers chased him down and tackled him to the ground.

Seifers suffered a hurt shoulder.

Reichmann complained of pain from the broom strikes and was transported to the Monroe County Hospital, Drake said.

After searching Reichmann’s car, police found a credit card of a 20-year-old female, whose purse was also stolen on Monday at Seventh and Grant streets, along with another stolen credit card, Drake said.

The victim on Monday said she reported seeing a shiny object in the suspect’s hand, Drake said. Police found a folding knife near Tuesday’s attack and think Reichmann might have used it to cut the straps on the purses.

IUPD suspects Reichmann could also be responsible for two other attempted purse thefts on campus on Monday.

The two attempted purse thefts occurred on the intersection of Jordan Avenue and Third Street and at Wilkie North, IUPD Department Chief Keith Cash said.

BPD is also investigating to see if Seifers was responsible for other Bloomington purse thefts, including one at Marsh Supermarket on N. Kinser Pike on Aug. 25 and a backpack theft in front of Monroe County Public Library.

Reichmann is on parole for a 2005 burglary, Drake said. He has previous convictions for fraud, OWI while leaving the scene of an accident and receiving stolen property.