‘Great’ thief, not-so-great getaway

A motorcycle-riding man who snatched a pricey Louis Vuitton bag from a woman in Quezon City on Monday was immediately arrested after losing control of his bike and injuring himself while fleeing, police said.

The suspect identified as Great Jaime Reyes, 38, was caught not far from the intersection where he reached into the window of a car and took the bag belonging to Othelia Leung, 74.

According to Supt. Michael Macapagal, commander of the Quezon City Police District’s Galas station, Leung and her husband were in their car, waiting for the green light on E. Rodriguez corner Tomas Morato, Barangay (village) Kristong Hari, when a masked Reyes drove by and grabbed her bag through an open window.

The bag alone is worth around P150,000 and also contained a smartphone worth P24,000 and P3,000 in cash, according to a QCPD incident report.

A police motorcycle team on E. Rodriguez was alerted to the theft and chased the suspect, Macapagal said. The speeding Reyes lost his balance while weaving his way through heavy traffic and fell off the bike, he said.

Leung’s bag was recovered.

Reyes, a resident of Cubao, required treatment at the hospital before he was thrown in jail to face charges, Macapagal said.–Jaymee T. Gamil