SHORELINE, Wash. — Jeesu Koo had just come out of the Costco at Aurora Village last Friday when she noticed a van circling her like a shark.
"I thought they just wanted my parking space," she said.
Koo was loading her groceries into her car when a woman jumped out of that van and stole her purse.
"I was just thinking about my purse. I have everything in there. My cell phone, my credit cards. Everything."
Koo was injured during the scuffle for her purse and ended up in the emergency room.
She was badly bruised and needed a CAT scan, but otherwise the 67-year-old was OK, at least physically.
"I've lived in the U.S. almost 50 years and never had this before," she said. "I'm still shaking."
Shoreline police say it was a well-coordinated attack with the purse snatcher jumping back into the van as the driver rolled by with the door open, its license plate blacked out.
They released surveillance video and photos of the van with a distinctive, discolored side door.
Police tracked Koo's credit cards to a Seattle QFC, where a man used them to buy gift cards, most likely to resell.
So far, police said they don't have any leads.
Shoreline Police Capt. Ryan Abbott said more attacks like this are likely as the holiday shopping season arrives, with older people at higher risk.
"They sit in the parking lots and are trying to find the most vulnerable victims, elderly people, so they can steal the purse quickly and jump into a waiting car without being harmed and not being touched."
Police say don't leave a purse unattended, and keep it close to you and zipped up at all times.
Several people working in the Costco Tire Center witnessed the attack and gave descriptions to police.
Koo's family said a man named Jacob and his wife comforted her, called 911 and waited with her to make sure she was safe.
Koo, still bruised and in pain from last week's robbery, worries for the next potential victim.
"I hope they can go to jail so I don't have to worry anymore, and I don't want anyone else to end up like me."
If you have any information please contact Shoreline Police at 206-296-3311.