Watch: SFV Woman Battles Purse Snatcher

SAN FERNANDO, CA —Video of a San Fernando Valley womantrying to hold her own against a violent purse snatcher in broad daylight shocked the community and triggered a search for the brazen thief this week.

Juliana Murillo was carrying flowers, coffee and a gift to celebrate her mother's birthday when a man violently shoved her to the ground from behind. Security video shows her slamming into a security gate, crushing her flowers and spilling her coffee, yets she tries to hang on to her purse in a stunned tug-of-war with her attacker.

According to the San Fernando Police Department, the robbery occurred 3 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of Park Avenue in an apartment complex carport.

"He pushed me really hard and I hit my head on the door," Murillo told KTLA5. "My body just went into shock. I couldn't process what was going on. I kept saying, `What are you doing, what are you doing?' He used force to turn me over and he pulled out my purse and took off."

Murillo suffered a blow to the head and bruising, and ultimately she lost her purse, keys and credit cards.

But she did the right thing in eventually letting go of her purse straps, Lt. Walter Dominguez of the San Fernando Valley Police Department told Fox11.

"Don't fight for the property, he said. It's replaceable. Your life is not replaceable."

Authorities Thursday were looking for the man who assaulted and stole a purse from a woman earlier this week in San Fernando, despite the woman putting up a valiant struggle that was caught on surveillance video.

"I was born and raised in San Fernando," she told KTLA. "I'm a daughter, sister, I'm a friend, a loved one and no loved one should go through this. It was unexpected. It was just traumatic."

Authorities are looking for a suspect described as a heavyset man in his 30s, wearing grey sweatpants and a black shirt and beanie. Anyone with information about the attack is urged to call the San Fernando Police Department.

See the security footage of the attack on Fox11 here.

City News Service contributed to this report.