Two Durham men were arrested Monday night on charges of stealing a car and assaulting a 60-year-old Chapel Hill woman.
Marcus Dontae Carpenter, 21, and Mark Troy Smith, 19, have been charged with one count of felony larceny of a motor vehicle, one count of felony common law robbery and one count of felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury.
Carpenter and Smith allegedly hit the victim while stealing her car at 114 Gristmill Lane, according to Chapel Hill police reports.
“This is obviously a subject that is concerning,” said Lt. Kevin Gunter, spokesman for the Chapel Hill Police Department. “A victim in broad daylight was attacked in a residential area.”
Gunter said the victim was arriving home after work around 4:20 p.m. Monday when an unknown car pulled up behind her, and two young black men got out.
Carpenter and Smith attempted to take her purse, and the victim was thrown to the ground during the struggle, Gunter said.
He said Carpenter and Smith then left with the victim’s red 2002 Toyota Corolla and purse.
The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a release. The victim had broken bones, police reports state.
The car was valued at $7,000, and the stolen cellphone, keys and purse were valued at $135, according to reports.
