16-year-old charged with snatching woman’s purse at Hilton Head restaurant
A 16-year-old was charged in juvenile court with snatching a woman’s purse at a Hilton Head Island restaurant and injuring another woman who tried to intervene.
The teenage boy, who was not named by police because he is underage, was charged with strong arm robbery and second-degree assault and battery, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
Deputies responded Friday evening to San Miguel’s Mexican Cafe, located in Hilton Head’s Shelter Cove area. Outside the restaurant, they found a woman with a deep cut above her left eye who was applying ice to her blood-soaked face, the report says.
The injured woman told police she was standing near the restaurant’s entrance when she saw the 16-year-old suspect arguing with a hostess. The suspect grabbed the hostess’ purse and held it behind his back as he tried to leave, the witness was documented saying in the report.
The woman intervened, she told police, grabbing the purse back from the teenager. He responded by pushing her, leading her face to strike the corner of a brick pillar, the police report says.
Family members took the woman to the hospital, according to the report, which said she required treatment from a plastic surgeon due to the “severity” of the cut to her face.
The 16-year-old was detained at the scene and taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia, the report says.
Strong arm robbery, considered a felony under South Carolina law, is defined as forcibly taking property from someone without the use of a deadly weapon.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 5:04 PM with the headline "16-year-old charged with snatching woman’s purse at Hilton Head restaurant."
