Vancouver Police are trying to identify the man responsible for an attack on a 13-year-old high school student last night.

At about 6:00 pm, the teenage girl was walking along St. George Street near 20th Avenue when a man ran up from behind her, knocked her to the ground, and struck her on the leg. He removed her backpack from her shoulders, and searched through it before running off.

Police were called, but a search of the area found no sign of the suspect, who was described as having a dark complexion, about 40-years-old, 6′ tall, with a heavy build. He was wearing dark clothing and had a slight accent, possibly Spanish.

The victim was not physically harmed, but the attack has obviously left her quite shaken.

Investigators believe the motive for the attack was robbery, and have recovered physical evidence from the scene. Police are also looking for any possible video evidence in an attempt to identify the person responsible.