A woman in her 70s was pushed to the ground and hit before having her purse stolen early Monday.
Sometime just after 2 a.m., the woman and a friend were walking home from a restaurant in the 22800-block of Lougheed Highway when a man approached them, knocked the woman to the ground, grabbed her purse and then took off in a vehicle.
Shortly after that, a car accident took place in east Maple Ridge. Police investigated and found the vehicle and the driver matched the description of the robbery suspect.
Eric Anthony Renzetti, 28, a Port Coquitlam resident, appeared in Port Coquitlam provincial court the same day, facing charges of robbery, assault causing bodily harm, possession of stolen property, and two counts of breaching court conditions. He's been remanded in custody.