Tourist dragged after purse snatching

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A tourist visiting South Florida has been left with severe injuries after she went after the thief who took off with her purse at a parking lot.

Maria Beatrice is in excruciating pain on her face, shoulder and legs after a man ripped her purse from her shoulder in the Costco parking lot on North Miami Beach.

Beatrice is a tourist from Brazil and was with her sister and daughter when she ran after the man. "I run to him shouting 'I need my passport, just give me my passport,'" she said.

The suspect then hopped in a getaway car and Beatrice ran up to the car. "I put my arms into the window and asked, 'Give me my passport, please. I need my passport,' and she closed the window and started the car, and I had to run," said Beatrice.

A female getaway driver took off leaving Beatrice's hand wedged into the window of the car. Beatrice's sister said she thought she was dead. "And she was dragging and running and then she fell down, and then I think they opened the window and she was on the floor," said Maria Theresa. "She fell with her arms open like a dead person. Her face was on the floor. I thought she was dead."

Beatrice's face hit the pavement as she was dragged 30 feet. Her daughter was in tears looking at her mother's injuries. "Because we are on vacation," she said through her tears.

North Miami Beach Police Director Tom Carney said, "It's good for the community to know to be aware of what's going on and try to protect your purse. The issue is, unfortunately, she got hurt because she tried to get it back, and it's something we don't want people doing."

Beatrice was supposed to return to Brazil on Tuesday. She wants the suspects responsible to be caught.

If you have any information on this purse-snatching, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)