Letter carrier tackles purse snatcher

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Rain or shine, snow or sleet… or purse snatching… the mailman will deliver your mail!

Friday afternoon, letter carrier Jeffrey Atkins helped stop a man from stealing an elderly woman’s purse near 191 Chestnut Street in Springfield.

Atkins was shy and did not want to be shown on camera, but those who helped hold the thief down for police said it was a noble act for Atkins to jump in so quickly.

Paul Lalonde saw the mailman tackle the purse snatcher and came out to help. He said that Atkins saw the man taking the woman’s purse, chased him through the parking lot and tackled him.

Lalonde told 22News, "Initially, all I heard was shouting and saw someone lying down, I wasn’t sure what was going on. We recognized the postman wrestling with somebody. Obviously we jumped in to assist."

Lalonde told 22News that he is very proud of his mailman, and that he is a hero.