Shreveport Police Dept.

Date: Dec 13, 2009

Phone: (318) 525-5066 Fax: (318) 673-6933

Contact: Cpl. Bill Goodin, Public Information Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Robbery Task Force, K-9 take bite out of crime

Officers and detectives with the Shreveport Police Department's Robbery Task Force and K-9 Unit have arrested a local man in connection with a purse snatching.

At approximately 9:35 p.m. last night, Robbery Task Force officers were dispatched to the 5800 block of Youree Dr. relative to a purse snatching.

Upon arrival, officers learned that a white male suspect had approached a female victim and taken her purse by force, pushing her to the ground. The suspect then got into a black Ford pick-up truck and attempted to flee the scene. As he was leaving the parking lot, the suspect wrecked his truck and abandoned it, running on foot. The victim's husband chased the purse snatcher but lost him in an alley behind Trejo's Restaurant.

Assisted by patrol units, task force officers were searching the area when police dispatchers received a suspicious activity call in the 5700 block of Roma Dr. Officers responded to that location and a K-9 unit located the suspect hiding in a backyard there. The suspect concealed himself in a wooden crate in the backyard and refused to obey officer's commands to surrender himself, so a K-9 was deployed and removed the suspect from his hiding place. The suspect was taken into custody and then transported to LSUHSC by the Shreveport Fire Department to be treated for a dog bite.

Officers were able to recover the victim's purse and items taken from the purse that were on the suspect's person at the time of his capture. The suspect, identified as 22 year old Brian Hogg of the 2400 block of Gilbert in Shreveport, was treated and released from the hospital and has been booked into the Shreveport City Jail on one count of purse snatching. Chief of Police Henry Whitehorn lauded the arrest, saying, “This is exactly the reason why I have implemented the use of our Robbery Task Force. I can't say enough about the job these officers did last night and I hope this sends a message to would be criminals that the Shreveport Police Department will take the appropriate action if you decide to put the safety and welfare of our citizens at risk.”

-spd-

View all SPD press releases at www.shreveportla.gov