Attempted purse snatching leads to Atlanta man’s 66th arrest

Michael Wilcox, 45, was arrested April 28 and charged with criminal attempt to commit robbery in connection with an incident at a gas station on Lee Street SW. The victim in the case said a man approached and offered to “pump her gas for money” before reaching over her shoulder and unsuccessfully attempting to grab her purse, Atlanta police said.

The suspect reportedly fled after a short struggle but the victim flagged down police officers, who were able to apprehend the man, later identified as Wilcox, a short distance away.

“The male made eye contact with officers and then tried to walk fast in the opposite direction” before being arrested, Atlanta police posted on Facebook.

The Facebook post also said that Wilcox’s arrest marked his 66th in Fulton County. Online jail records back up that assertion, and show that previous charges filed against Wilcox range from trespassing and disorderly conduct to aggravated assault, sexual battery and “reckless conduct HIV.”

The arrests date back as far as 1987.

As of Monday, Wilcox remained in the Fulton County jail on charges stemming from last week’s incident.