Armed with cane, she got the better of St. Paul thief

When Perry L. Young snatched a purse from an 85-year-old woman's arm Friday afternoon in St. Paul, her 64-year-old daughter gave chase, according to a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court.

Young had a knife, the complaint said, but the woman had a cane and wasn't afraid to use it.

Young, 52, of Shoreview, was charged Monday with attempted aggravated first-degree robbery and second-degree assault.

The complaint told this tale:

The women were walking near W. 7th Street about 2:15 p.m. Friday when a man approached and grabbed the older woman's purse. The defendant ran but was caught about half a block away by the younger woman.

He pulled a knife and swung it at her, but she blocked it with her cane and the knife broke in two. The defendant also dropped the purse.

The daughter suffered a cut to her cheek but did not require medical care, police said.

He told police that he was hungry and was trying to take food that the older woman had with her. The other woman started hitting him and kept on hitting him as he started to run, he said, according to the complaint.

"He claimed he had no intention of taking the victim's purse ... [or] of hurting anyone with the knife," the complaint said.