A strong arm robbery at an Austin laundromat was solved hours after it occurred Monday afternoon.

According to an Austin Police Department report, police were called to the Excalibur Laundromat in a strip mall off First Avenue Southwest near the McDonald’s Restaurant at mid-afternoon Monday.

An interpreter from the Welcome Center told officers the victim called her to the scene.

According to the report, a woman reported her purse was taken after she left it lying on a washing machine.

She and her husband gave police a description of the minivan and a female who allegedly snatched the purse and said a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt accompanied her in the crime.

Austin police traced the minivan to Western Manor Apartments and interviewed the van’s owner and a brother who lived there.

According to the police report, the woman and her minivan matched the description given by the victim and her husband.

While the interviews were being conducted at Western Manor Apartments, another police officer on routine patrol found a purse lying along the curb outside 1210 Second Ave. S.W.

When it was returned to the victim, it was found to be missing $80 in cash.

A 24-year-old woman was taken into custody, pending theft charges.

Her brother was not arrested.