Officers say the suspect assaulted two witnesses of the crash and tried to steal their phones before leaving the scene.

The Ottawa Police Service is asking for the public's help to identify a suspect in a hit-and-run which turned into an assault near Bayshore Mall.

Officers say a woman, driving a dark coloured SUV, struck an unoccupied parked vehicle on January 11, around 2 p.m.

The suspect then assaulted a witness and tried to steal the victim's phone before assaulting a second witness and trying to steal their phone.

Police say the suspect then fled the area.

The suspect is described as:

Middle Eastern woman

5' 5'' (165 cm)

Medium build

Investigators are also looking for anyone who may have witnessed this incident.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Ottawa Police Service West Criminal Investigations Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2666. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.