Woman says she was attacked, robbed near Houston Galleria

A woman said she was brutally attacked in a parking garage near the Houston Galleria.

Thursday afternoon, the 64-year-old woman was walking to her car in the Dillard's parking garage on Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer  Road when she said she felt a blow on the back of her head. When she turned around, a man sprayed her in the face with pepper spray and began slapping her.

The man grabbed her Louis Vuitton purse containing her wallet and her credit cards, then ran to a waiting car and drove off.

He pulled it off in broad daylight in one of the city's most exclusive shopping areas, a place Sadrine Zene told us she's always felt safe.

"I think in America you feel safe. Especially at the Galleria, you must be feeling very safe," Zene said.

Police warn that shoppers, no matter where they are, need to keep in mind what pilots call situational awareness. That is to constantly be aware of what's happening all around them, and not just on what's in front of them.

Elida Troutman said she's careful about where she parks. Last week, she asked a Dillard's employee to walk her to her car just to be safe.

"I don't want to go in the garage. It's too dark in there. I never park in the garage," Troutman said.