GUILDERLAND — A woman was pepper-sprayed and robbed while at Crossgates Mall on Friday, according to Guilderland Police.

At approxiatemly 4:50 p.m., a woman was in a restroom stall at the lower level of the mall near Macy’s, when, suddenly, police say, a woman forced her way in and sprayed the victim with Mace and demanded her purse.

The robber, described by police as a heavyset black woman in her 20’s, was wearing a gray sleeveless shirt and had braids in her hair.
"Just as she was undoing her pants to sit down in the stall, a woman burst in and pepper-sprayed her, then took her purse and ran off," said Sergeant Adam Myers of the Guilderland Police.
The perpertrator could not be identified from surveillance tapes. "There was nothing clear from the video at the mall," said Myers.

A struggle ensued between the two women inside of the restroom before the robber fled the scene. The attacker then ran out the nearby mall exit with the victim’s purse.
"The victim was pepper-sprayed and couldn’t see anything," said Myers. The robber made off with the victim’s credit cards, money, and her identification, Myers told The Enterprise.

Guilderland Police are asking anyone with information regarding the matter to call the police department at 356-1501.