Woman injured in bag theft

AN ELDERLY woman has been hospitalised after a she was assaulted in a sickening theft on Wednesday night.

A spokeswoman for the Queensland Police Service said they were called to The Strand about 9pm in relation to a theft.

She said it was believed a car, understood to be a silver Hyundai i30, pulled up on the street near an elderly woman who was standing alone near the road.

A man jumped out of the vehicle, ran up to the victim and snatched her bag away.

The woman, 73, was shoved to the ground during the incident.

It’s understood she hit her head and injured her wrist as a result of the fall.

The offender jumped back into the vehicle and fled the scene.

Police crews, including the dog squad, searched for the offender.

The spokeswoman said investigations were continuing.

A spokeswoman for the Queensland Ambulance Service said the woman was taken to Townsville University Hospital in a stable condition.