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Cops: Man Nabbed for Snatching Pocketbook from Woman, 66, in Northport

William Wahl was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing a pocket book from a 66-year-old woman in Northport. (SCPD)
William Wahl was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing a pocket book from a 66-year-old woman in Northport. (SCPD)

Suffolk County police arrested a Levittown man Wednesday afternoon after he allegedly stole a pocketbook from a 66-year-old woman in the parking lot of a Northport supermarket.

The alleged thief, 25-year-old William Wahl, approached the woman in the Stop and Shop parking lot on Fort Salonga Road just before 12:30 p.m. and grabbed her pocketbook, police said. The woman’s screams were heard by bystanders, who began to chase Wahl as he made his way through a residential area, police said.

Wahl was allegedly running through backyards when he eventually ended up on the property of an off-duty Nassau County police officer, police said. A struggle ensued, but Wahl was able to break free.

Police called in the K-9 unit and Aviation to assist with the search.

At around 1:05 p.m., a Second Precinct officer spotted Wahl walking down Laurel Road near Laurel Court and placed him under arrest, police said. The off-duty officer was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries to his hands.

Wahl, who was treated at Huntington Hospital, was charged with grand larceny, assault, and criminal mischief. He will be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip.