Woman shoots man twice as he attempts to snatch purse, police say

When a man attempted to snatch a woman's purse from her car with her in it, she reached for her firearm and fired two rounds, police said. When a man attempted to snatch a woman's purse from her car with her in it, she reached for her firearm and fired two rounds, police said. Photo: OnScene.TV Photo: OnScene.TV Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Woman shoots man twice as he attempts to snatch purse, police say 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

When a man attempted to snatch a woman's purse from her car with her in it, she reached for her firearm and fired two rounds, police said.

The woman, who was arriving at her home in southwest Houston at around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, told police she noticed several men standing near her parking space at the apartment complex where she lives near 8000 Creekbend Drive, police said.

As she parked and began to roll up her windows, one of the men approached her, said J.A. Miller, an officer with the Houston Police Department Robbery Division. The man reached into her passenger window, which was still partially opened and attempted to grab her purse, Miller said.

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The woman and the man struggled for the purse, but she was able to retrieve her handgun from her bag and fire two shots into the suspect, Miller said.

The suspect and the other men fled as she fired her gun, Miller said.

But just a short time later, police received a call about a man that had been found shot just 100 yards away, on the other side of the apartment complex, Miller said.

The man was transported to the hospital and is expected to survive, he said. He faces aggravated robbery charges, Miller said. The woman is not being charged at this time, he said.

No other information is known.

Michelle Iracheta is a digital reporter in Houston. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | michelle.iracheta@chron.com