A man brandishing a knife robbed a woman of her purse in central Nanaimo early Thursday.
The robbery happened just after 1 a.m. at the at the Bowen and East Wellington roads intersection. The 53-year-old victim had just finished janitorial work at a bank on Bowen Road and was walking to her car when the suspect came up and demanded her purse. She handed it over and he ran off.
Her cellphone was in her purse so she was delayed calling the police, but eventually managed to find a phone and called 911.
Mounties responded with a police dog services unit, but the dog was not able to track down the suspect.
The woman was shaken, but not injured.
The suspect is described as about 5'11" tall with a slim build and was dressed entirely in black.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.