One woman was treated in hospital last Friday after a late-night robbery in White Rock turned violent.
Const. Shaileshni Molison said the woman was struck in the face and knocked to the ground as she tried to unlock her vehicle. She was one of two victims targeted in the crime, which occurred just after 10:30 p.m. March 27 in the 1500-block of Johnston Road.
Molison said the women – one in her 40s and one in her 50s – were in the process of closing up a local restaurant when a man approached one of them and demanded money. He then demanded that the other woman give him her purse.
"As the first female tried to unlock her vehicle, she was struck in the face by the male, knocking her to the ground," Molison states in a news release issued Tuesday. "The male suspect fled on foot with the purses of both females."
A suspect vehicle is described only as white.
Police are looking for a Caucasian man in connection with the incident. He is described as 20 to 25 years old, and was wearing a gray jacket at the time.
The injured woman was treated in hospital and released.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or with information on the perpetrator is asked to contact White Rock RCMP at 778-593-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.