Watch: Dramatic footage shows Gold Coast grandma fight off alleged thief in carpark tussle

An alleged thief has met his match in a Gold Coast grandmother after he tried to take her handbag from a busy pub.

In dramatic footage obtained by Sunrise, the woman, who was reportedly celebrating her birthday at the Pimpama Tavern in January this year, chases the 42-year-old man through the carpark.

According to Sunrise, the man took the handbag off a table before running through the carpark with the no-nonsense gran in hot pursuit.

The woman, who suffers from a medical condition, kicked off her shoes and engaged in a tussle, grabbing the man in a headlock before re-claiming her bag.

Reportedly, she was left with cracked ribs, cuts and bruises following the altercation.

The alleged thief has since been charged and is due to appear in court this week.

Rag-dolled! This grandmother chased the thief before grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. Photo / Channel 7

Rag-dolled! This grandmother chased the thief before grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. Photo / Channel 7

It's not the first time we've seen a wanted person tackled to the ground by members of the public.

A mum has been caught on camera tackling a fleeing suspect accused of looking into her teenage daughter's bedroom window.

Texas woman Phyllis Pena returned home at 7am to find a man in her garden peeping through her daughter's window.

Pena called the police and the man ran away.

But it wasn't long before officers found him nearby. The man tried to run away and that's when Pena swung into action.

As the suspect ran towards the mum, she moved in, braced herself, used rugby-styled footwork to get into position and tackled him, sending him flying off his feet and straight to the ground.

Pena said police were blown away by her takedown of the suspect, suggesting her skills could be used in professional sport.

"The cop fist-bumped me and he was like, 'Hey, so I heard the Texans are looking for a new linebacker,'" Pena said.

- Additional reporting news.com.au