Woman is attacked in Prairie Village parking lot

Police searched for a man who attacked a woman in a Prairie Village parking lot on Friday afternoon.

Police were called to the Prairie Village Shopping Center in the 6900 block of Mission Road about 2:15 p.m. after a woman reported that a man sprayed her in the face with a duster air can and tried to take her purse.

The woman said she was attacked just as she stepped out of her vehicle and fought back against the man, knocking him to the ground. The woman held on to her purse and screamed. The man fled the area in an early 2000s silver Chevrolet Cavalier with no license plates, police said.

The attacker was described as a black man in his 40s, 5 feet 9 with a heavy build and long, curly hair.

An employee from a nearby business helped the victim by calling the police shortly after the attacker left the area. The investigation continued.

Ian Cummings, icummings@kcstar.com

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Woman is attacked in Prairie Village parking lot."