Pinetops police are asking the public for help in identifying a man who reportedly assaulted and robbed an elderly lady on her lunch break earlier this month in Pinetops.

Police said the suspect punched the woman in the face and got into her car then choked her before snatching her purse and fleeing the scene toward Macclesfield.

The suspect is described as a 5-foot-7 to 6-foot black man in his late 30s with light or medium skin, a medium build, short hair cut and possibly a gap between his two front teeth. He was driving a late ’80s to early ’90s Chevrolet Caprice or Impala with chrome or polished aluminum rims and a license tag that starts with ZT.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Pinetops Police Department at 827-5014 or Detective Stacy Harrell at 813-9680.