CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — A horrific incident at this Save-A-Lot in Cleveland Heights has scarred one woman both emotionally and physically.
Now, she’s sending a warning to others.
“I want to make sure that when people shop here that they’re safe and if they’re not going to be safe by all means please don’t get into that store,” said Lenice White, who was robbed at Save-A-Lot in Cleveland Heights.
Broken but not defeated, Lenice said she struggles to return to the Save-A-Lot on Noble Road in Cleveland Heights, where she said a man knocked her to the ground and snatched her purse inside this store last Thursday.
“I had a shoulder purse on, so he had to shove me down in order to get it off of me,” said Lenice.
The impact of this robbery left Lenice with multiple bruises, which she said has devastated her son Lonnie and made it difficult for her to perform her daily routine.
“I just don’t understand and it’s just heartbreaking,” said Lonnie White, Lenice’s son. “This my mother. This all I got.”
But together, Lonnie and Lenice said they’re able to move forward as they wait for justice to be served and a response from Save-A-Lot’s corporate office.
“If it was any other store, it wouldn’t be like this. I don’t understand why they’re doing that here. I really don’t,” said Lenice.
This is not the first time News 5 has reported on safety concerns at this Save-A-Lot off Noble Road.
Back in March, our crew covered a rally where shoppers asked for more security and police presence due to a series of break-ins and thefts.
RELATED: Cleveland Heights Save A Lot crime concerns have community rallying for store safety
At that time, Cleveland Heights City Hall responded by saying, “a comprehensive planning initiative had been initiated for the Noble Road Corridor to target specific areas for reinvestment.”
Meanwhile, Save-A-Lot Corporate Headquarters acknowledged the repeated break-ins and vandalism and welcomed shoppers to express their collective right to safely access fresh, quality, affordable groceries.
But since then, not only did this incident occur with Lenice on June 20, but Cleveland Heights officials also told News 5 via email that officers responded to a similar incident where a young man ripped a purse from an elderly woman just four days later at this same Save-A-Lot.
“My goodness, it has to be some type of justice and safety for elderly people inside of a store shopping,” said Lonnie.
City officials said that a 23-year-old man has been arrested and charged after a short foot chase for the June 24 incident.
But the suspect in Lenice’s case on June 20 is still on the loose, and now detectives need the community’s help searching for the man described as wearing dark clothing and a red face mask who they say fled towards Woodview Road.
“These people in this community, they deserve way, way, way better,” said Lonnie.
We reached out to Save-A-Lot’s corporate office and went inside, but News 5 did not receive a comment at this time.
