Purse snatchers arrested by Gadsden police

Gadsden police tracked a purse-snatching suspect to a Roslyn Drive residence Wednesday, where they found the purse and its contents.
Police say A woman was vacuuming and cleaning out her car about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at a service station on Ewing Avenue when a man approached her and asked if she had 50 cents. While she was distracted by that man, another man ran over, grabbed her purse then jumped into a car and drove away, leaving the man who asked for money behind.
The woman was able to give police a description of the car — a black Kia Optima — and officers spotted a car fitting that description on Roslyn Drive.
The police set up a perimeter around the residence and waited until a search warrant could be obtained.
Armed with the warrant, officers searched the residence and found the purse and its contents inside. Some items, such as the victim’s driver’s license and Social Security card, had been shredded and were found in a toilet.
Two men — one suspected of distracting the woman, the other of taking her purse — were arrested and taken to the Etowah County Detention Center. A third suspect was interviewed and released.
Officers at the jail found $109 hidden under a back brace on the man suspected of taking the purse.