Don Pablo's customer battered after chasing wallet thieves

More than a week after the incident at Don Pablo's restaurant in Richfield, Minn., Wanda is still battered and bruised both emotionally and physically.

Despite the swelling and the scratches that remain, Wanda’s face has come a long way when compared to the bloody photos taken the night of July 12, the night a group of thieves targeted her wallet inside the restaurant along Interstate 494.

“My daughter and I go out for margaritas every Sunday night,” she said.

She and her daughter were sitting in the bar that night, and they were alone until a group of four women sat next to the pair. Wanda insists the women acted like pro thieves, engaging in some bar banter before creating a commotion that allowed them to grab Wanda’s wallet out of her zipped purse and fled. Wanda finally realized what happened and chased after them.

“What’s mine is mine,” she added.

She would catch them as they jumped in their vehicle in the parking lot, holding on through an open window when the driver slammed on the gas.

“I took one or two steps and hit the pavement. The lights went out.  First it went black, and then red,” she recalled. “So when I hit and rolled over, my daughter got there, it was like a blood geyser. She is screaming, ‘Mom, mom, talk to me,’ and I couldn’t find my voice. It didn’t register. She goes, ‘Did they shoot or stab you?’ I could just stare at her.”

The suspects got away, leaving Wanda behind to be rushed to the hospital. She said her bank records show that within 20 minutes of the incident, the thieves were already using her stolen cards at several local merchants.

“I’m frustrated because in my mind, it was four women. Women are supposed to be caretakers and what were these women doing? Stealing something that wasn’t theirs,” she said.

A GoFundMe site has been set up. Donations can be made here.