A Chattanooga man was arrested Friday afternoon after police said he snatched money from workers at the Hixson Post Office - his second robbery in a little over an hour.
Robert Louis Taylor, 41, is being charged with aggravated robbery and theft Under $500.
The money snatch at a postal facility is a federal offense.
Police said around 3:30 p.m., a white male approached a vehicle that was sitting in the parking lot at a coffee shop at 1948 Northpoint Blvd. Inside that vehicle was a woman with a small child, both of whom were in the back seat.
The suspect pulled a knife, stole the victim's purse, and then fled the scene on foot.
About an hour later, the same suspect walked into the Hixson Post Office, located at the rear of Northgate Mall, and became disorderly with Post Office employees. While distracting workers who were counting their cash drawers, the suspect reached across the counter and took some of the cash. He then ran out, got into his car and sped away.
When postal employees called to report the incident, they gave a description of the suspect and his vehicle.
Police spokesman Tom Layne said, "Thanks to some very heads up work by our patrol officers, the vehicle was spotted a short time later and stopped. The suspect was then positively identified and taken into custody."