Police in downtown Los Angeles are looking for a would-be robber, but also issuing a warning after a woman looking at her cell phone was dragged into an alley during an attempted robbery before a nearby valet jumped in to help.
"This person was so distracted with her phone she did not see the suspect run up on her," the Los Angeles Police Department Central Area said in a tweet on Tuesday, along with a video of the incident which happened on Jan. 28.
"She was lucky. Always be aware of your surroundings," the department said.
In the footage, the woman is walking down a street looking down at her phone when a man wearing what appears to be a grey sweatshirt and sweatpants runs up behind her, throws her to the ground and starts dragging her violently down the sidewalk.
A spokeswoman for the police department said the man was allegedly trying to steal the woman's purse and cell phone.
Thankfully, another man working nearby as a valet witnessed the incident and ran over to help the woman. The video shows the valet throwing his hands up as if he was about to fight before the attacker runs away.
The spokeswoman declined to release details on the woman or the valet but said the woman was not injured during the attack.
So far, no arrests have been made.