A 76-year-old woman was injured and her purse stolen by two teenagers Sunday morning while in the north vestibule at St. Cecilia’s Cathedral.
The woman was taken to Creighton University Medical Center with a large bump and scrapes on her forehead, according to an Omaha Police Department report.
The woman was treated in the emergency room and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.
A video of the incident showing what appears to be two teenage boys assaulting the woman has been posted on St. Cecilia’s Facebook page. The attackers’ faces and clothing are clearly visible on camera.
The woman, a resident of Johnston, Iowa, can be seen in the video reading a copy of the parish newsletter at the welcome table at 11:06 a.m. in the church at 701 N. 40th St. The assault takes less than 15 seconds.
One attacker approached the 5-foot-6, 150-pound woman from behind and grabbed her purse before running out the door. The second person can be seen hitting the woman squarely on the side of her face, knocking her down. The woman hit her head on the side of the table as she fell.
The Rev. James Netusil said Tuesday that he was in the sacristy preparing for 11:30 a.m. Mass when the assault occurred. An usher rushed in and asked for a towel to clean blood from the face of a woman who had been mugged.
“Honestly, I saw the video for the first time this morning, and it just makes you cringe,” Netusil said. “After the first kid grabbed her purse, the second one hits her, and there’s no point to it. It was just evil.”
Surveillance cameras mounted outside show the attackers run out the door, down Burt Street to 39th Street and then north toward Cuming Street, Netusil said. He estimated that the teens were between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10.
Netusil said he talked to the woman for a moment before police and paramedics arrived. At first, he said, she didn’t want to go to a hospital.
“She was pretty shaken up,” he said. “From the video, we know that she had just walked in two minutes before and suddenly, she’s attacked.”
The woman was taken to Creighton University Medical Center with a large bump and scrapes on her forehead, according to an Omaha Police Department report.
The woman was treated in the emergency room and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.
A video of the incident showing what appears to be two teenage boys assaulting the woman has been posted on St. Cecilia’s Facebook page. The attackers’ faces and clothing are clearly visible on camera.
The woman, a resident of Johnston, Iowa, can be seen in the video reading a copy of the parish newsletter at the welcome table at 11:06 a.m. in the church at 701 N. 40th St. The assault takes less than 15 seconds.
One attacker approached the 5-foot-6, 150-pound woman from behind and grabbed her purse before running out the door. The second person can be seen hitting the woman squarely on the side of her face, knocking her down. The woman hit her head on the side of the table as she fell.
The Rev. James Netusil said Tuesday that he was in the sacristy preparing for 11:30 a.m. Mass when the assault occurred. An usher rushed in and asked for a towel to clean blood from the face of a woman who had been mugged.
“Honestly, I saw the video for the first time this morning, and it just makes you cringe,” Netusil said. “After the first kid grabbed her purse, the second one hits her, and there’s no point to it. It was just evil.”
Surveillance cameras mounted outside show the attackers run out the door, down Burt Street to 39th Street and then north toward Cuming Street, Netusil said. He estimated that the teens were between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10.
Netusil said he talked to the woman for a moment before police and paramedics arrived. At first, he said, she didn’t want to go to a hospital.
“She was pretty shaken up,” he said. “From the video, we know that she had just walked in two minutes before and suddenly, she’s attacked.”
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