Halifax Regional Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of stealing money from a woman who is legally blind.
Police say the incident happened at Pete’s Frootique on Dresden Road around 6:40 p.m. Friday.
The woman was shopping, and while she was busy looking at items, police say a man approached her shopping cart and stole her purse.
The purse was later found inside a garbage can on the street but a significant amount of money was gone.
Police have released photos of the suspect in the hopes of tracking him down.
He is described as a white man in his 50s and was wearing a dark baseball cap, blue jacket and blue jeans at the time of the incident.
He left the store without making any purchases.
Police say the man targeted the blind woman.
“He entered the store following her, and then went straight to her, took the purse, and then left the store without taking anything else,” said Halifax police spokesperson Cst. Pierre Bourdages.
Shelley Adams, a counsellor with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, was among those reacting with surprise and disgust at the news of the crime.
“To think that somebody would do something like that is pretty scary,” Adams said.
“It's really disturbing to think that people are taking advantage of the fact that somebody can't see,” she said.
The CNIB teaches courses in personal safety, which is something the partially sighted are especially mindful of, says Adams.
“If I have bags with me or my purse or anything, you know on the bus, I won't put my bag on the seat beside me, or if I do, I don't let go of it — that's kind of my thing,” she said.
It’s not unheard of for people who are blind to be targeted by criminals.
Last month in Toronto, a blind man was attacked and robbed.
The assailants took his wallet and his mobility cane and cut his throat.
The man survived and charges have since been laid.
Adams says incidents like these are disheartening.
“I'm starting to feel like nothing surprises me anymore,” she said.
Anyone with information about the incident or the man’s identity is asked to contact police.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell
