An 80-year-old woman from Burnaby, B.C., gave a would-be robber more than he bargained for, fighting the man off when he tried to steal her purse.
Beryl Gauthier, 80, says she chased the would-be robber down the hall and 'booted him one.' (CBC)
Beryl Gauthier said that despite her age, she can hold her own.
She said had met the man on Tuesday when he asked her for $10, supposedly to get his car out of an impound lot. She gave him the money, she said, but then he showed up at the front door the following day, asking for more.
When she offered only $3, Gauthier said, the man became upset and tried to grab her purse.
But the retired nurse was having none of that.
"I've learned a few tricks of the trade over the years and I felt I could take him on," she said.
"I grabbed him by the shirt and swung him around a bit, and he let go of the purse. And he tried it again, to go at the purse. And this time I grabbed him by the shoulders and hit him against the wall a little bit."
As a parting shot, she kicked him in the backside as he ran away.
"I chased him down the hall and booted him one. I pushed him into the wall and he went roaring down the stairs."
Gauthier admits she was "foolish" to take the man on in a fight, but says he "deserved it."
Burnaby RCMP Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre said he doesn't recommend confronting criminals, as "they may react in a negative way and it doesn't matter if you're 20 years old or 80 years old."
Lemaitre says police are still looking for the attacker.