A purse snatching in Yucca Valley resulted in a crashed U-Haul that shut down Highway 62 between Old Woman Springs Road and Sage Avenue and caused a power outage throughout the Morongo Basin for hours Friday afternoon. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Wilson, three women from Palm Springs drove up to Yucca Valley Friday in a rented U-Haul trailer to possibly buy a used appliance. While in Yucca Valley, the women stopped at the Food 4 Less. While in the store, Wilson said one of the women, identified only as being 54 years old, snatched a purse about 1:30 p.m. and ran out of the store while one of her companions was in line buying groceries, and the other was in the U-Haul truck. The suspect ran to the U-Haul, followed by employees and customers. When her companion, who was in the driver’s seat, got out of the truck because she refused to drive off, a Food 4 Less employee grabbed the snatched purse off the truck’s front seat. Meanwhile, the suspect moved over into the driver’s seat and left the parking lot, hitting a 2005 Honda Accord parked next to the truck. 
The suspect started driving westbound on Highway 62 when for unknown reasons, she lost control of the U-Haul, and crashed into a power pole in front of Carrow’s restaurant. The woman then fled the scene. The crash caused the power pole to fall over onto the U-Haul truck and caused a power outage in pockets from Morongo Valley to Twentynine Palms. SoCal Edison crews said they couldn’t move the U-Haul truck because it would cause the pole to fall over, taking all the power lines with it. 
Edison estimated it would take a minimum of five hours to re-route the power lines, and possibly all night. Meanwhile, residents in the 56900 block of Antelope Trail, just two blocks from Food 4 Less and the crash scene, called the Sheriff’s Department to report that a strange woman was hiding in their bathroom and refused to come out. Deputies responded to the scene and were able to remove her without incident. Witnesses confirmed the woman hiding was the alleged purse thief who stole the U-Haul. The Sheriff’s Department has not released her name yet. Sgt. Wilson said she could be charged with commercial burglary, two counts of hit-and run, and grand theft auto.
