Grandmother suffers broken bones in attack outside Phoenix store

PHOENIX — It’s the same grocery store she’s been going to for years.

An 83-year-old grandmother had just finished her shopping and was about to go out the front door when she was suddenly violently attacked.

“She is in a lot of pain,” said the victim’s daughter.

It happened Wednesday morning at Food City on the corner of Central Avenue and Baseline Road in south Phoenix. The victim’s daughter asked that her family not be identified because the perpetrator is still at large.

According to the daughter, someone ran towards her mother, grabbed her purse, pushed her to the ground and ran away. The injuries were so severe that she was taken to the hospital.

“She has a broken shoulder,” she said. “Her face is shattered.”

A Phoenix police spokesman said the incident is being investigated as a robbery. The suspect’s description has not been released as the search and investigation is ongoing.

The victim’s daughter hopes that the man who seriously injured her mother will turn himself in.

“He should confess, come out and make amends,” she said.

The daughter also wants to know why there were no security guards in the store who could have prevented this situation.

A Food City spokesperson told 12News that the location has security in the building, however, on the day of the incident, security was not on duty:

At Food City, the safety of our employees and guests while shopping with us is our highest priority. We have learned that this incident occurred outside between our store and a neighboring store and that the individual involved has been transported to the hospital. We wish her a speedy recovery from this very unfortunate incident.

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