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ST. GEORGE — A couple accused of killing a woman in Georgia during a purse snatching attempt are also believed to be responsible for a violent purse snatching in St. George and several other cities across the country, according to police.
Brandon Shawn Smith, 27, and Stephanie Marie Rodriguez, 37, were arrested in Manchester, Tennessee, police announced Sunday.
In Utah, the couple is accused of putting a gun to the head of a 75-year-old woman in a Family Dollar store in St. George on Nov. 12, according to St. George police.
"During the fight for the purse the victim fell to the ground and the strap on the purse broke and the suspect ran and jumped into a getaway car," police said Sunday.
The woman was "very shaken" but not injured, according to police.
On Sunday, Smith and Rodriguez were arrested during a traffic stop in Tennessee, according to St. George police. They are believed to have committed at last 10 violent purse snatchings, one kidnapping and one murder over the past several weeks in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Georgia, according to police.
On Nov. 16, the couple allegedly ran over a 37-year-old woman, killing her, after stealing her purse, according to a story in The Greeneville Sun.
