Man totes stolen purse with missing loot

Police in Pleasanton today arrested a man seen carrying a purse reported stolen from a woman’s car during a smash and grab burglary on Friday afternoon, a police lieutenant said.

At 1:14 p.m. Friday, a woman phoned police to report that a man had broken into her vehicle parked at 5959 Coronado Lane, took her purse from inside and ran away after she yelled at him, police Lt. Scott Rohovit said.

The man, who had broken the passenger window of the vehicle, was last seen running south toward West Las Positas Boulevard in Pleasanton, but police could not find him, Rohovit said.

This morning at 8:26 a.m., officers answered an alarm call at the Provident Bank at 5934 Gibraltar Drive but on the way spotted a man who matched the victim’s description and was carrying a purse, police said.

When police attempted to question him, he ran and while being chased by officers, tried to get rid of property allegedly taken from the auto burglary the previous day, according to Rohovit. Officers caught up to him in the courtyard of the Four Points Sheraton Pleasanton hotel two blocks to the west and arrested him.

The suspect was identified as Derrick Fields, 40, of Dublin.

From an investigation, police found Fields also possessed property reported stolen from an auto burglary in Fremont last Feb. 19, Rohovit said.

Police booked Fields into the Santa Rita jail in Dublin this morning on suspicion of possessing stolen property, theft with a prior conviction and delaying or obstructing a police officer, according to Rohovit.