VIDEO: Robber Pummels 81-Year-Old Woman Before Snatching Her Bag

WEST VILLAGE, NY — An 81-year-old woman was repeatedly pummeled in the lobby of her West Village apartment building on Friday before her attacker took her bag, video footage released by police shows.

The shocking footage shows an attacker following the woman, Barbara Davison, into her building on Friday night. Once inside the building, located near West 13th Street and Seventh Avenue, the man punches Davison in the head at least four times until she falls to the ground, the video shows. The man then takes the woman's bag and leaves the building.

Police say the attack happened at about 6:50 p.m. They released surveillance footage of the assault and are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating the attacker. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Barbara Davison was identified by the New York Daily News as the victim of the assault. The actress told the Daily News that refused medical attention and that she was glad the assault was caught on tape. She said her neighbors heard her in the hallway and immediately helped her off the ground and called police.

“New Yorkers are great,” Davison told the Daily News. “New Yorkers are absolutely great. They come around. They’re there.”

You can watching the shocking footage here:

Image credit: NYPD