Police seek tips after elderly woman assaulted

After a violent, random assault on an elderly woman in northeast Edmonton last week, police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Police say an 84-year-old woman was watering the lawn at her townhouse near 134 Avenue and 40 Street around 2:45 p.m. May 13 when she was attacked. A man approached her and punched her in the face.

She fell, and he repeatedly kicked her on the ground, and then ran away, police say.

Edmonton police released a video of the suspect on Thursday.

The woman was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police responded around 3:30 p.m.

“The violent and random nature of this assault against a senior citizen is unusual and troubling,” Det. Sonja Wepruk said in a news release.

“We are releasing video of the suspect that was recorded just before the assault occurred in the hopes that it will generate tips to help identify this man.”

In an email, police spokeswoman Cheryl Voordenhout said the assault appears to be completely random.

“The suspect did not steal anything, was unknown to the victim, and appears to have just come across her,” she said.

The suspect is described as a black man in his 20s or 30s with a large muscular or heavy-set build. He is between five-foot-six and five-foot-nine.

He was wearing a black windbreaker jacket, black or dark blue jeans, white running shoes and a dark baseball cap at the time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Edmonton police at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a cellphone.

Anonymous tips can be reported to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2223507 or at p3tips.com/250.