78 year old woman pepper sprayed and then robbed in Edmonton

Downtown police officers responded to a call on Mon., July 12, where a female had been pepper sprayed and robbed of her purse.

At 2:45 p.m., a 78 year-old female, driving a four-door 1993 green Mazda 626, was on her way to the Hy’s Centre located at 101 Street and 110 Avenue. While in the area of 94 Street and 114 Avenue, the driver stopped to ask a female pedestrian for directions. The female pedestrian, approximately 30 years-old, told the driver that she was heading in the same direction and would show her the way to go if she could ride along with her; the driver agreed.

Once they reached Hy’s Centre the driver parked in the north lot. The victim was allegedly robbed and pepper sprayed. The suspect fled the car on foot, heading northbound.

“The attack was a random, isolated incident,” said Const. Jarrod Luipasco. “Every citizen should always be aware of their surroundings. Take precautions, keep valuables hidden if possible and trust your instincts.”

The suspect is described as a 30 year-old, non-white female, possibly Aboriginal or Asian, approximately 5 feet tall with dark hair in a bun. She was wearing a white t-shirt, dark pants and dangeling earrings ending with three silver balls.

The purse was recovered in a back alley near the scene of the incident, however, an undisclosed amount of cash, eyeglasses and an inhaler were taken. The driver did not receive any major injures.