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Teen girl Punched by Man during Phone Theft

Jul 25, 2016 | 5:42 PM

Police in Nanaimo are looking for a suspect who punched a teenage girl in the face to steal her phone.

Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien says the 14 year old girl was sitting outside the Beban Park Rec Centre Sunday afternoon around 5:20.

“She was by herself, she had her iPhone out when suddenly a male approached and grabbed her phone. When she tried to stop him he punched her in the face and she fell to the ground and cut her knees,” said O’Brien.

He says the girl is fine, but obviously upset by the ordeal, noting she didn’t require a trip to hospital.

A man in the area chased the suspect towards the VIEX barns and a police dog was brought in, but no trace was found.

O’Brien says it appears this was not a random attack.

“He certainly targeted that female. There were people in the area and it appears that he waited for them to leave then targeted her and grabbed her phone. There is no connection between the victim and the suspect.”

The attacker is described as white, between 5’8 and 5’10, in his late teens or early 20’s.

He had short brown hair, a blue backpack and was riding a small black bicycle, possibly a stunt bike. The phone was a black iPhone 5 with a purple case.

If you have any information, contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.