A woman walking to her third-floor apartment at the Cortland Ridglea Apartments was attacked Saturday night when a man grabbed for her purse, but she held on and sprayed him with pepper spray before he fled on foot. The attempted purse-snatching happened around 9:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of Dominy Lane, and police are now asking the public for help identifying the suspect.
According to Fort Worth Police
, the suspect is described only as a young Hispanic male who ran off after the woman fought back. Anyone with information is urged to call the department's tip line at 817-392-4377 rather than reply online. The incident has been logged under two report numbers, 260067433 and 260057376, tying it to an earlier case at the same complex.
Suspect Matches Description From Earlier Incident
Police say the man who attacked the resident Saturday matches the description of a suspect who succeeded in taking a purse from another woman at the same complex on July 31 — a gap of just over five weeks between the two reported incidents. That earlier theft was completed, while Saturday's attempt was thwarted when the victim refused to let go and used pepper spray to drive the suspect off.
Under Texas Penal Code § 29.02, robbery occurs whenever a person causes bodily injury or places someone in fear of imminent injury during a theft, a second-degree felony carrying two to 20 years in prison, according to Goldstein & Orr. Because Texas Penal Code § 29.01(1) defines conduct in the course of committing theft to include attempted theft, a completed taking is not required for a robbery charge.
Texas Self-Defense Law
Texas Penal Code § 46.05 prohibits carrying a chemical dispensing device except for a small chemical dispenser sold commercially for personal protection, according to Texas Department of Public Safety. Separately, Texas Penal Code § 9.31 justifies non-lethal force when a person reasonably believes it is immediately necessary to protect against another's unlawful force, and the same statute imposes no duty to retreat before using force in a place where someone has a right to be, according to Cofer Connelly. Under that provision, a jury weighing the reasonableness of a response is statutorily barred from holding it against a person that they didn't try to run.
A Sprawling, Gated Complex in South Fort Worth
Cortland Ridglea is a gated community featuring 22 floor plans. The complex's gated layout is a notable feature.
The case echoes a September 2024 West Fort Worth purse-snatching that Hoodline previously covered, in which gunfire erupted after a bystander intervened, touching off a multi-officer foot chase that ended in a swift arrest. The report mentioned information from a key witness and Fort Worth's Real Time Crime Center.
Citywide Crime Trends Offer Mixed Backdrop
Fort Worth's overall crime numbers provide a broader backdrop. Fort Worth Police Department figures show total Group A crime offenses fell 8.1% in the first quarter of 2026 versus Q1 2025, dropping from 11,685 offenses to 10,739, with crimes against property down 11.8% and crimes against persons down 4.1%.
Crime conditions can differ by neighborhood across the city. Anyone with information on the Cortland Ridglea suspect is asked to contact Fort Worth Police at the tip line number above; those witnessing an active crime should call 911.
