Mugger gets mugged!
By Associated Press, 11/20/02
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- A mugger found that turnabout is fair play.
After knocking down a woman in a supermarket parking lot and stealing her purse, he was chased down by a man who pushed him to the ground and snatched the purse back.
Martin Luik, 24, said he heard the woman's shouts for help, jumped on his bicycle and easily caught the fleeing robber.
The woman, Cheryl Kernan, 55, called Luik her hero.
"The attacker stole my purse, threw me on the ground. And then this young kid comes from nowhere with my purse," Kernan said. "I had everything in my life in that purse, all my ID, all my keys to my business and my home."
Luik, who moved to the United States four years ago, said he learned how to handle himself growing up on the streets of Moscow. He would not accept a reward, so Kernan invited him to her home for Thanksgiving dinner.
Fort Lauderdale police spokesman Mike Reed said thefts like the one Kernan experienced tend to become more common around holiday times.
"The criminals know where to look for their victims -- the malls around Christmas time and large grocery stores around Thanksgiving," Reed said. "People need to be careful. Don't carry large amounts of cash."
The mugger was able to jump into a waiting car and get away.
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