Police arrest accused Boynton Beach purse snatcher after woman's sons tackle him, hold him down

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Police arrested a Boynton Beach man Sunday after he allegedly tried stealing the purse of a woman whose car had broken down.

Harold L. Rainner, 46, is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail without bond. He is facing two counts of robbery by sudden snatching.

Rainner was arrested after the woman's sons tackled him and held him down until Boynton Beach Police arrived at 9:35 p.m. The family's car had broken down near the 700 block of South Federal Highway in Boynton Beach on Sunday night when Rainner allegedly approached the 62-year-old woman and tried snatching her purse away, according the arrest report.

But the woman fought back by holding on to her purse. Instead of letting go, Rainner dragged the woman through the parking lot in attempt to take her purse away, the report stated.

When the woman's sons noticed what was happening, they tackled Rainner to the floor.

Despite being pinned down to the ground, Rainner allegedly also tried taking another woman's purse; a passerby who had seen what was going and was trying to help the two men keep Rainner down, according to the report.

When confronted, Rainner denied trying to snatch anyone's purse and instead insisted that he was just trying to help the family with their broken down car.