NORTH Vancouver Mounties are hunting for a man they say attacked and robbed a 15-year-old girl.
The victim was walking alone on a trail near North Vancouver's Dorothy Lynas elementary just after 5 p.m. Nov. 7 when the suspect reportedly approached her from behind, grabbed her arm and threatened her with a knife.
The masked attacker demanded the teen hand over her purse.
When she froze, he allegedly knocked her to the ground, scooped up the purse and fled. The victim lost a small amount of cash and a bus pass, according to police.
The young teen was not seriously injured in the incident.
"This (was) quite aggressive on the individual's part," said Cpl. Richard De Jong, a spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP. "We want to alert the public to this."
De Jong said he did not believe the incident was connected to the rash of purse snatchings announced this week by the Vancouver Police Department.
Nonetheless, he wanted to make sure the people in the Seymour and Deep Cove area took special care when walking alone.
Investigators are hoping the community can help them track down the culprit. He's described as a six-foot-tall Caucasian man wearing a black ski mask, green hoodie, dark blue jeans and black Nike runners.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311.
