Benjamin Brock Lewis (Photo courtesy James City County Police Department)
A 28-year-old James City County man is facing charges after police say he tried to snatch a purse from a woman in front of the Monticello Marketplace Target and then shoved and punched two men who chased after him.
Benjamin Brock Lewis is believed to have approached the 52-year-old woman as she was walking in the parking lot toward Target’s front door, said James City County Police Department Deputy Chief Stephen Rubino in a news release.
He allegedly grabbed a purse slung over her shoulder and tried to pull it away from her. Rubino said in the release the woman, who was on her cell phone at the time, pulled back and screamed. The purse straps broke, causing the purse’s contents to spill on the ground.
Lewis is then believed to have run toward the nearby Dollar Tree. A 25-year-old Target employee and a 25-year-old Target patron, both men, chased Lewis and confronted him. Lewis punched the patron in the face and shoved the employee to the ground before both men were able to hold Lewis on the ground until officers arrived, according to the release.
Police arrested Lewis and charged him with attempted larceny, two counts of assault and battery and drunk in public. The two 25-year-old men and the woman received minor injuries but did not require medical treatment.
Lewis was taken to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail where he is being held without bond.