Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2005 21:19:29 -0400
To: WSFA List <wsfalist at wsfa.org>
From: Elspeth Kovar <ekovar at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: [WSFA] More proof of the advantages of being a reader

Woman, 73, Fights Off Man With Books, Kick
Updated 6:34 AM ET June 30, 2005

SAN DIEGO (AP) - A 73-year-old San Diego woman fought off a man who tried
to steal her dog by beating him with a bag of books and kicking him in the
groin, police said.

The woman, who was not identified by police, was pushing a shopping cart
around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday when a man on a bicycle snatched a bag from her
cart that contained her 12-year-old Yorkshire terrier, according to San
Diego police Sgt. Jim Schorr.

It's not clear whether the man realized there was an animal inside the bag.

As he rode away, the woman swung her book bag, knocking the man off his
bike, then kicked him in the groin and reclaimed her dog and her bag.

The man retaliated by hitting the woman in the head and escaping on his
bike, police said.

Neither the woman nor her dog were injured.