A 38-year-old man was sentenced on May 21 to five years in state prison after pleading guilty to robbing elderly women who had just withdrawn money from their banks, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

The defendant, Dewayne Taylor, entered a plea to two counts of robbery and admitted the special allegations of inflicting great bodily injury on a person over 70 years old, and committing a crime against someone over the age of 65. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Horwitz immediately sentenced Taylor and ordered the defendant to pay nearly $8,500 in restitution to the victims.

Deputy District Attorney Michelle Dodd, of the district attorney’s office’s elder abuse section, said Taylor robbed an 85-year-old woman last September on her way to her home after conducting business at a bank. Taylor fled in a vehicle after he grabbed the woman’s purse. The victim fell to the ground and was injured.

Several days later, Taylor robbed a 67-year-old woman in the 3000 block of 10th Avenue after she withdrew money from her bank. Taylor stole the woman’s purse, pushed her to the ground and drove away. The victim suffered minor injuries.

The case was investigated by Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Santa Monica Police Department.