LONDON, Ky (WKYT) - Gertrude Reams couldn't believe what happened to her as she was loading bags into her car in the middle of the day Sunday.

"This man came running. He grabbed my purse, ran through the parking lot running as hard as he could," said Reams, recalling the events from her London home on Monday.

She tried chasing the guy, but couldn't catch him. She yelled for help. Several ran to help, including a worker on break at the nearby Golden Corral.

"He got behind him, closer than anybody did. He said, stop, I'm the police and I'm going to shoot. When he did he throwed down my purse but he took the cash and credit cards out and stuff," said Reams.

Several hours after the incident, police eventually found Freddie Scalf hiding in a barn. Reams says she was able to talk to him as he was being arrested.

"He said he was hungry and I said if you would have asked for money I would have given you money to eat on. You didn't have to take my purse. He wanted to apologize but I didn't feel any remorse for him," said Reams.

Reams says police found all of her money and credit cards in the barn.

"If he can't do better than what he is doing, I told him there is a shelter where he can get food and a bed," she said.

For now, Scalf is answering to theft, trespassing, and other charges from behind bars.