VICTORIA -- RCMP are investigating an alleged assault and robbery in downtown Nanaimo last week.
The incident began around 5 a.m. on Feb. 8. The victim told police that he was walking near the intersection of Front Street and Bastion Street to take photos of the downtown core when he came across two men and a woman.
"The woman saw that the victim had his cellphone out and she began yelling at him and accusing him of recording her," said RCMP in a release Tuesday.
One of the men then walked up to the victim and punched him in the face, say police. The victim fell to the ground and reportedly lost consciousness for a short time. When he woke up, he found that his wallet and cellphone were missing.
Mounties say when they spoke to the victim, 33, officers could see swelling on the right side of his mouth and noted several small cuts on his right hand.
Eventually, the man made his way to the Coast Bastion Hotel and spoke with a security guard, who helped him retrieve his phone and wallet from the three people.
The man says he did not know who the three individuals were, and provided "limited" descriptions to police.
The woman is described as having red hair, and the man who allegedly punched the victim is described as a white man with black hair who was wearing a black and white baseball cap. The victim could not recall description for the third man.
Anyone with information on the incident or the three individuals involved is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
