A San Antonio woman who was the victim of a violent purse-snatching on Friday night is now recovering at home.
Maria Candanoza, 27, said she was walking to the store in her West Side neighborhood when a man drove up next to her in a white Nissan.
"I was walking to the store, and the guy asked me what time was it," Candanoza said. "He said, 'Come a little closer,' and he was drunk. I could smell it off him."
Candanoza said when she got closer to his vehicle, the man snatched her purse and wouldn't let go.
"I got closer, and he just yanked me from my purse, and I didn't let go at all," Candanoza said. "He just pressed the gas, and drug me from three or four blocks down."
According to the police report, the man approached Candanoza at the intersection of S. Nueces and Torreon, and the ordeal ended at the intersection of S. Nueces and San Fernando, a distance of about 60 yards.
"I didn't let go, and I was telling him, 'No, stop, please, don't do this,' and he was still doing it, and he wouldn't let go at all," Candanoza said. "I just got all scraped up. I got all these big things and blisters on my feet."
Candanoza said she suffered a broken bone, swollen organs, and her body is covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises.
"It's scary to know that anybody out there would do something like this. You don't know who to trust, even in your own neighborhood," said Angelica Altamira, Candanoza's sister. "I think this guy needs to be in jail, because he can do it to you or anyone in your family."
Candanoza said she's never seen the man before, but that he was driving a white four-door Nissan Maxima. Her purse was black with a gold chain, and contained her cellphone, personal items, and cash.