Louise Signore: 103-Year-Old Blind Woman Violently Mugged On The Way Home From Bingo

Louise Signore was on the way back from a bingo game on Saturday when a mugger seized on the 103-year-old blind woman, violently beating her and making off with the Bronx woman’s shopping cart.

Now police have made an arrest in the case, and headlines about the 103-year-old’s violent mugging have spread across the nation.

The crime took place on Friday afternoon, when police say 53-year-old Sharon McNeil followed Signore into the elevator of Signore’s apartment and then attacked. The attack came without warning, as police say McNeil said nothing but simply thew Signore to the ground, causing injuries to her head and legs.

“She didn’t say anything, just took it,” Signore told the New York Daily News.

Louise Signore seemed to be an easy target, the report noted. She stands less than five feet tall and still lives on her own. McNeil, on the other hand, weighs 250 pounds and was described as a “bruiser.”

The women who mugged Louise Signore a 103 year old from Bronx was arrested today. https://t.co/lpiG44PirE

— FonderiaUSA (@FonderiaUSA) April 2, 2016

The attack not only left Signore bruised, but she was also shocked as to why someone would want to attack her.

“She picked on an old woman,” Signore said. “Why wouldn’t she pick on a younger person?”

103 year-old Louise Signore to woman who robbed her: "You must be desperate…I think she must be mentally insane." pic.twitter.com/yqkkK98rUS

— CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) April 2, 2016

Signore said she was able to shout for help, alerting a neighbor’s son who came to her aid.

“I had a bump on my head yesterday. It’s much better, but my leg still hurts me …,” she said.

The rescue was reminiscent of another attack from last year. Orrden Williams, a father of two from Memphis, Tennessee, agreed to walk an elderly neighbor to her car and ended up fighting off a gang of teenagers who had been getting unruly.

Williams noted that he knew the teens looked like trouble when he agreed to help Mary Fuller to her car.

“I said, ‘I don’t know if I ought to walk out of here or not, because they’re still fighting,’ ” Fuller told WMC-TV. “He said, ‘It’s not a problem. I’ll take care of this.’ ”

“I put my arms around her, told her it would be OK, and walked her out of the store,” he added.

But after Williams got the elderly woman into her car, the teens descended upon him and attacked. Williams was sucker punched and the teens then surrounded him, delivering a vicious beating.

“This was a terrorist act,” said Williams. “This is a civilized society. We have no place for this.”

Williams was not too hurt, however, and Louise Signore was left with no serious injuries in this week’s attack. The 103-year-old said she is recovering well from the attack and isn’t too worried about losing her purse, but she said there was one item that was difficult for her to lose.

“What did she want? What did she get, $35 and a couple of meals? But she took my magnifying glass, that’s important for me,” Signore told 1010 WINS (via CBS News).

Police said Sharon McNeil was arrested and taken to a hospital for psychiatric observation and then arraigned on assault, robbery, and harassment charges. And after the violent mugging of 103-year-old Louise Signore, the alleged attacker made off with just a purse containing $35 and some bingo cards.

But Louise Signore said the violent mugging won’t stop her weekly routine. Signore told the New York Daily News that she still plans to go out for bingo and take-out food.

[Image via Twitter/NYRogerStern]