Man killed while trying to stop purse snatcher

A man died while trying to stop a purse snatching in south Phoenix. It happened just after midnight near 46th Street, just south of the I-10. Now the suspect is on the loose.

Phoenix Police say there was a small group of people outside of an apartment complex around 12:30 a.m. when an unknown male approached the group and tried to take a woman's purse.

50-year-old Juan Jose Briseno tried to step in and help; a fight broke out between the two men, and the suspect dropped the purse and ran away.

The group noticed Briseno was bleeding from his neck; paramedics were called, and they rushed him to a hospital where he died.

FOX 10 spoke to a woman at the complex who says it was her purse that the suspect was trying to steal. She says she was working on her car at the time when he approached her.

"As long as I've been here, I've heard of beatings, I've seen people running out of houses. When we first moved in here I caught someone breaking in to our neighbors house," said a neighbor.

Authorities aren't sure how Briseno was injured because there were no weapons found in the area. Police only have a description of a dark skinned male wearing dark clothing.

Investigators ask anyone with information to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.