A woman sitting in her parked car was the victim of strong-arm robbery around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6, near Greer Park in Palo Alto, according to a police press release.

The woman, who is in her 70s, had just returned to her car, which was parked in the 1000 block of Tanland Drive, near Amarillo Avenue. She put her purse on the front passenger seat and was sitting in her vehicle when she noticed a man get out of a vehicle that had just pulled up across the street. That man walked over to her car, opened the passenger side door, and tried to take her purse, Palo Alto police reported.

She fought to hold on to the purse, and the two briefly struggled over it, but the robber was able to wrest it away from the woman. He ran back to the waiting car and got into the passenger’s seat. The driver then sped away toward Amarillo, and a witness reported that it turned east to head towards West Bayshore Road, police stated.

Police could not find the suspects. The victim described the robber as a man of unknown race between 18 and 22 years of age, wearing a black or blue hooded sweatshirt with white lettering. She did not see the driver. The victim and the witness described the vehicle as a gray minivan or hatchback.

The victim complained of pain to one of her hands but declined medical attention.

Detectives are investigating the case. There have been no similar strong-arm robberies reported in Palo Alto recently, the press release stated.

Police are asking that anyone with information about this incident call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413 or send in anonymous tips via [email protected] or by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.