The Turlock Police Department has taken a woman into custody on the allegations she injured an elderly woman during a robbery outside a Turlock restaurant.

The 88-year-old woman sustained injuries from a fall when her purse was ripped off her arm, the police department reported.

The suspect has been identified as Monica Menchaca, 20, of Turlock. She was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Facility on charges of robbery, elder abuse, and conspiracy. She is being held in custody in lieu of a $50,000 bail.

The robbery occurred around 2:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in the 2700 block of Countryside Drive. The 88-year-old woman was walking towards the Olive Garden restaurant when a woman ran up and grabbed her purse from behind, said Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis.

The force of the purse snatching caused the 88-year-old to lose her balance and fall to the ground. She was transported to a nearby hospital with unspecified injuries.

The suspect got into a vehicle and fled with the woman’s purse.

A witness saw the theft and gave a description of the suspect and the vehicle. The vehicle was described by the witness as a grey four-door Mercury. The witness also was able to get a partial license plate number off of the vehicle.

On Nov. 20, a Turlock Police officer on patrol noticed a vehicle on W. Main Street that matched the description of the one seen at the robbery. The vehicle had a broken tail light and the officer stopped it for a vehicle code violation, Lewis said.

Menchaca was a passenger in the car. She was found to have a misdemeanor warrant out of Ceres and was taken into custody.

A follow-up investigation led to Menchaca being identified as the suspected purse snatcher, Lewis said.

On Monday, officers responded to a verbal argument between two women in the area of S. First and D streets. Menchaca was identified as one of the women and was taken into custody without incident.