VICTORIA -- Police in Nanaimo are investigating after two masked men broke into an apartment and assaulted a resident with a machete.

The incident happened around 8 p.m. Monday in the 700-block of Poplar Street.

Nanaimo RCMP say the two men were reportedly wearing masks when they burst through the apartment door.

There were three residents in the unit and one was struck with the broad side of a machete but was not cut.

The two masked men allegedly stole a backpack before leaving through a patio door.

Both perpetrators are believed to be white men, approximately 5’ 10” tall. One man was wearing a white jacket while the other wore dark clothing.

One of the men was hunched over and often looked at his feet while standing, according to police.

RCMP dog units attended and tracked the perpetrators to the area of the Departure Bay Motel where the track went cold.

“Investigators believe this was a targeted incident and that the public is not at risk,” said Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP in a statement Tuesday

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.