GALVESTON — A woman walking in the historic Strand district downtown was struck in the head with a hammer by a man attempting to steal her purse, police said.
An officer later arrested a suspect alleged to have had bloody hands, police said.
Linda C. Ochoa, 59, of Houston, told police she was walking at 7:25 p.m. Tuesday in the 2200 block of The Strand when a man hit her in the head with a hammer, police Capt. Jeffrey Heyse said.
The man pulled at Ochoa’s purse, but, despite her injury, she managed to hold onto it, Heyse said in a statement.
Police found Ochoa bleeding from the head. A witness gave police officers James Emmerson and Ernesto Garcia a description of the attacker.
A witness saw a man he thought was the attacker near where Ochoa was struck and chased him, police said.
Emmerson arrested the suspect in a nearby alley, police Lt. D.J. Alvarez said.
“The suspect was observed to have blood on his hands, which he was unable to explain,” Heyse said.
Larry D. Champion, 48, of Galveston, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remained Wednesday in the Galveston County Jail on $250,000 bond.
Ochoa was seen at the University of Texas Medical Branch emergency room but declined treatment, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Police said they found a blood-splattered hammer and blue shirt, which were taken for testing.
