Video: Man snatches cash from elderly victim

LARGO (FOX 13) - Deputies in Pinellas County are hoping you can help them identify the robber who snatched an envelope full of cash from an elderly man and ran off.

The crime happened on Monday afternoon at the Optical Outlet along East Bay Drive.  According to detectives, the 81-year-old man had gone to the bank next door and withdrawn some cash, then returned to the eyeglass store to wait for his wife to finish her appointment.

That’s when the much younger suspect struck.  Surveillance video shows the man jump from a chair, grab the envelope of cash out of the victim’s shirt pocket, then flee from the store.

The suspect is described as a man in his early 20s, 6 feet tall and 170 pounds, with a thin build, light hair, and light skin tone.  He was wearing a light blue t-shirt, tan cargo shorts, black tennis shoes, black shin-high socks, and a black and silver ball cap -- possibly a Chicago Bulls cap.

Anyone with information on either case is asked to contact detectives at (727) 582-6200 or, to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS, www.crimestoppersofpinellas.org.