VANCOUVER -- Police in Saanich are investigating after an attempted robbery in their jurisdiction Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred around 6:40 a.m. as a woman was parking her vehicle at a plaza in the 5300 block of Cordova Bay Road, the Saanich Police Department said in a news release.
As she was getting out of the vehicle, an unknown man pushed his way in and grabbed her handbag, police said.
After a short struggle, the suspect gave up and fled the area on foot, police said, adding that no weapons were used and the woman was not physically injured in the altercation.
"The suspect was not known to the victim and this attack appears to be random," police said in their release.
They described the suspect as a white man wearing "a brown, winter-style tweed jacket and knitted black gloves." He stands about 5'9" tall and his face was covered at the time of the attack, police said, adding that he was last seen heading south on Cordova Bay Road and may have later fled the area in a vehicle.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or may have seen the suspect before or after the offence to come forward. They're also asking drivers who were in the area at the time to check dash cams for any video they may have captured.
“This is a very concerning incident and our officers are working diligently to try and identify this suspect," said Saanich police spokesperson Const. Markus Anastasiades in the release. "This happened in an open, public area and we are hopeful that someone may have witnessed this incident. We continue to provide support to the victim involved."
