Police are warning the public about a violent robber who targeted one woman in Port Coquitlam and two in North Vancouver in the span of just a few hours Thursday morning.
At 6:20 a.m. Thursday, North Vancouver RCMP say a young woman was approached and pushed down onto the sidewalk near the intersection of Mountain Highway and East 27th Street in North Vancouver.
The suspect stole her backpack and fled in a small, bluish-green four-door car.
The woman was unhurt but ran into an Esso gas station at the intersection for help, where she reported seeing a red pickup truck leaving the station at the time she was robbed.
Police are hoping that the driver of the truck might come forward with some details about the robbery that could be of assistance to police.
The second attack happened two hours later at approximately 8:20 a.m. in the 1300 block of Riverside Drive in North Vancouver.
A young woman was walking to work when she was attacked by a bandana-clad man who hit her with a blunt instrument before fleeing in a small, blue-green car.
Police believe that the attacker was spooked by a passing motorist and was unable to complete the robbery.
North Vancouver RCMP are asking this motorist, who was driving a silver pickup truck in the 1300 block of Riverside Drive at 8:20 a.m., to come forward if they might have witnessed the attack or seen the suspect vehicle.
A short time later, a third attack happened in Port Coquitlam, in which an elderly woman sustained a wound to her head, requiring stitches.
At 9:40 a.m., the woman was walking alone on the sidewalk near Patricia Avenue and Hastings Street when she was knocked to the ground and robbed of her purse by a man who fled in the same bluish-green car.
The woman was taken to hospital and treated for a gash on her head.
In response to the recent spate of attacks, North Vancouver and Coquitlam RCMP are asking women to be aware of their surroundings when walking alone and, if possible, to walk with a friend.
According to Cpl. Peter DeVries of the North Vancouver RCMP, at least 15 officers from both North Van and Coquitlam are investigating these attacks and will continue to do so over the coming days.
Anyone with any information related to these incidents is asked to contact Cpl. Mike Kokkoris of the North Van RCMP at 604-985-1311 or Const. Alex Bojic of the Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or leave a tip online at bccrimestoppers.com.
Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $2,000 for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
