MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Myrtle Beach Police have released photos of a purse snatching suspect and are asking for the community’s help in identifying the thief.

An incident report from Myrtle Beach Police details how the victim was walking to enter Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort & Spa at

Grande Dunes Thursday night around 7:45 p.m. when a man walked by her, and as she passed he turned and grabbed her handbag off her shoulder. The thief ran into the parking garage near the hotel with the purse and was last seen leaving out the back exit door of the parking garage.

The victim and witnesses told officers that the purse snatcher was wearing black pants, a black sweatshirt, a winter hat with ear flaps and a knitted ball on the top. The victim told police that the thief used either his sweatshirt or his hand to cover his face from the nose down, so she wasn’t able to get a close look at the man’s face.

Police describe the suspect as a black male, approximately 20 to 30-years-old, standing 5′ 5″ to 5′ 7″ tall and weighing roughly 150 to 160 pounds.

Anyone with information related to this crime or the suspect in the photos is asked to please contact the Myrtle Beach Police Department at 843-918-1382.