Police are investigating an incident last Tuesday in which a man grabbed a young Parrottsville woman's purse from her lap as she sat in her car in the parking lot of the Greeneville Commons shopping center, then fled.

A report filed by Capt. Teddy Lawing said the 18-year-old victim told police she had walked to her car when she was approached by a young man with dark hair.

The report said the woman attempted to lock herself inside her car but that the driver's door did not shut properly. When she attempted to open the door in order to close it properly, the man asked for directions to Tusculum College, then reached into her car, grabbed her purse from her lap and fled on foot.

The report said the victim pursued the thief on foot until he entered a Nissan pickup that was parked near the J.C. Penney store.

When the pickup fled, several bystanders pursued it and one of the bystanders recovered the purse when it was thrown from the fleeing truck. But the victim's wallet had been taken from the purse before it was thrown from the fleeing truck, the police report said.

The wallet contained a small amount of cash as well as the victim's driver license and other identification.