Palo Alto mugger punches mother pushing baby stroller

A suspect attacked a woman pushing a stroller Sunday evening along Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. A suspect attacked a woman pushing a stroller Sunday evening along Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Palo Alto mugger punches mother pushing baby stroller 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Police were hunting Monday for a mugger who callously punched a woman in the head and stole her purse as she pushed her baby in a stroller on a Palo Alto sidewalk, officials said.

The victim, only identified as a woman in her 30s, was pushing the stroller around 6:40 p.m. Sunday on the 3100 block of Middlefield Road when she stopped to check her crying baby, Palo Alto police said.

While she was tending to the infant, a man ran up and yanked at her purse. He then socked her in the side of her head, ripped her purse away from her and bolted with the bag, police said.

The woman suffered a scraped ear and redness on the side of her head in the mugging. She declined medical attention at the scene. The baby was not harmed.

Multiple witnesses watched the violent attack, and two people chased the suspect, who ran east on Loma Verde Avenue and got away.

The attacker was described as being in his 20s with a stocky build, about 5 feet 4 and possibly with a full beard. He was wearing jeans and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over a baseball cap.

Police are working on a sketch of the suspect.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Palo Alto police at (650) 329-2413.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky