New Hampshire police are searching for a man they say knocked a woman to the ground, stole her purse and threatened her with a gun Sunday night in Manchester.
The woman told police she was walking along Spruce Street just before 10 p.m. after going to the market when she noticed a man behind her on the sidewalk.
When she turned around, the man allegedly said, "Don't worry I am not following you."
"It's terrifying,"Manchester Police Spokesperson Heather Hamel said Monday. "You want to feel safe in your own neighborhood."
The woman told police she laughed off the exchange and kept walking. Moments later, the woman said she was struck on the back of the head and knocked to the sidewalk, police said.
"And then there's a man there and he rips her purse off her chest, and leaves," Hamel said.
When the woman began to scream, alerting neighbors, the man allegedly came back towards her and pointed a gun at her.
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"He turns around, heads back down the road toward her, and he has a gun at that point," Hamel said. "He points it at her and pulls back the slide."
The gun was ready to fire, but at that point, the ordeal was interrupted by neighbor Elesha Martel who rushed outside after hearing the woman yelling for help.
"I came through the gate to see what happened and I was met by him, face to face, and I told him to get out of my yard," Martel recalled.
When the man took off, Martel said she called 911.
The victim wasn't hurt but she was shaken up.
The suspect remained at large on Monday which has left the neighborhood on edge.
"I don't walk anywhere by myself," resident Lenora Gagnon said.
"That is very, very scary," added Lisa O'Dell. "I hope they get this guy."
Authorities said the suspect is in his 30s and between 5 feet 5 inches tall and 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a thin build and clean-cut hair. He was wearing black shorts and a black shirt at the time of the incident.
The man's handgun was black and appeared to be a semi-automatic, similar to a glock, police said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Manchester police at 603-668-8711 or the Crime Line at 603-624-4040.
