What started as a daytime purse snatching near 59th Avenue just north of Loop 101 in Glendale has turned into a homicide case, with prosecutors alleging a 23-year-old Glendale man ran over an elderly woman and left her fatally injured in front of her husband.
Ali Hchaimi, 23, was arraigned Sunday after the victim was taken to a hospital and later died. Prosecutors told the court the woman's husband saw the attack unfold. A judge responded with a stiff cash-only bond and ordered that if Hchaimi is ever released, he will be subject to mandatory electronic monitoring.
As reported by ABC15, Hchaimi faces a first-degree murder charge, a Class 1 felony, along with robbery counts in one case and a separate robbery charge in another. Prosecutors also described an earlier incident five days before, saying Hchaimi allegedly followed an elderly woman from a bank after watching her withdraw $5,000, then stole her purse containing critical medications that were later discarded.
Court hearing and bond
At Sunday’s initial appearance, a prosecutor told the judge, "He ran over the elderly female victim in front of her husband ... he ran her over from head to toe," and said there were tire marks on the victim's head, according to ABC15. The court found probable cause in both criminal cases, appointed the public defender's office, and kept a $1.25 million cash-only bond in place in the murder case, along with a $50,000 cash-only bond in the related robbery matter. Other release conditions ordered by the court include no victim contact and no weapons.
Police say real-time footage led to arrest
Glendale police say Hchaimi allegedly took off in an older dark red sedan after the deadly purse snatching. Officers later tracked him down after Real Time Crime Center footage identified the suspect vehicle, according to the department. In court, Hchaimi requested an Arabic translator and told the judge he cannot stay in closed spaces. The judge reiterated that mandatory electronic monitoring would be required before any release.
What the charges mean
First-degree murder in Arizona is a Class 1 felony under A.R.S. § 13‑1105 and can bring a life sentence or, if capital punishment is sought, the death penalty. Robbery offenses are also prosecuted as serious felonies with substantial prison time. Hchaimi is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court, and any penalties, if he is convicted, will be decided under state sentencing laws (see Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 13).
Hchaimi is due back in court at the Downtown Superior Court Complex at the end of the week. The Maricopa County case remains active, and prosecutors and Glendale police have not released the victim's name.
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