They snatched purses. Then they led cops on a chase, crash and forced a school lock down

What started with two woman having their purses snatched, ended with five people being questioned after a brief police pursuit, a crash and a South Miami-Dade school on lockdown, police said.

At about 10 a.m. Monday, a 59-year-old woman was sitting at a bus stop at Southwest 200th Street and U.S.1 when several men approached her and snatched her purse from her arm, according to police.

The men left in a Hyundai Sonata.

Then another call came in. This time a woman in her 80s was in the parking lot of 20505 S. Dixie Hwy. when someone snatched her purse.

Again, the purse-snatcher left in a blue vehicle.

Police issued a B.O.L.O. (Be On the Look Out) order and soon after, officers spotted the car.

But the car's driver refused to stop, police said.

After a brief chase, the car crashed into a structure at Miami MacArthur South school and then reversed into a marked police car, police said. The five people inside took off running on the school grounds.

The school was placed on lockdown.

Miami-Dade Police, with the help of Miami-Dade Schools Police, tracked down the five people.

No one was injured and the damage to the school was minor, police said.

This story was originally published April 24, 2017 at 10:42 PM with the headline "They snatched purses. Then they led cops on a chase, crash and forced a school lock down."