AP
 
Lawrenceville (Georgia, US), Nov 25: A man tore a woman's finger off during a drive-by purse snatching, police said.

Caesare R Pinkins, 21, is charged with multiple felony counts of robbery, aggravated battery and burglary. He is being held in Gwinnett County Jail without bond.

Pinkins drove by a 55-year-old woman at about 2 pm on Wednesday, swiped her purse and stepped on the gas, Gwinnett Police Corporal Illana Spellman said.

"As the suspect drove away, one of the victim's fingers was pulled off," Spellman said.

Attempts by surgeons to reattach the woman's severed finger were unsuccessful. Spellman said she did not have additional information about the woman's injuries. She did not identify the victim.

After the purse snatch someone called police, who found Pinkins in a Lilburn neighbourhood later on Wednesday. He had ditched the car he was in and entered a nearby home that was unlocked. As police approached he fled on foot and was caught, Spellman said.

One of the counts Pinkins faces is for an alleged purse snatching outside a Target store on November 19, 2007. There were no injuries reported in that incident, Spellman said.

Police and jail officials said they did not know if Pinkins had an attorney. The Gwinnett County court was closed on Friday.