Police have their suspect, but they don’t have their victim after a violent robbery in downtown Victoria this morning.
Victoria police officers responded to the 1300-block of Douglas St. around 10:30 a.m. when witnesses reported seeing a a man shove a woman head-first into a wall, then attempt to steal her purse.
A passerby intervened and stopped the robbery in progress.
“We don’t have all the details yet, but witnesses say that he actually physically intervened, grabbed this guy, and our information is that he threw him to the ground,” said Const. Mike Russell. “We’re not sure if there was a struggle or a fight before.”
Other witnesses held the suspect down and waited for police, but the victim, along with a friend, and the intervening Good Samaritan, left before officers arrived.
“Investigators now to want to find the victim of the robbery to ensure she is OK and to assist in the case against the suspect,” Russell wrote in a press release.
The victim is described as an Asian woman in her late teens or early 20s, five feet tall with long black hair. She was wearing a black cardigan and black pants, and was carrying a beige purse.
The suspect, a 33-year-old Victoria man, faces one count of robbery related to the incident. Police say he was also wanted on two outstanding warrants for assault and uttering threats.
Police are asking anyone with information on the victim to contact Const. Rob Horne at 250-995-7654 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
