Police are trying to identify a man who was caught on camera beating up one woman and punching another in the head earlier this year in East Vancouver.

The victims, who are 46 and 54 years old, were approached by the attacker as they left the rear of a business shortly after 7 p.m. on May 4.

Surveillance footage released to the public Thursday shows the man walk up with his hands in his pockets as the women look at their phones.

"He made a comment as he approached," Const. Jason Doucette said. "[One woman] looks up at him and says, pardon? And he repeats what he said and the attack begins."

It’s unclear what the man said but police believe it was a brief phrase.

In the footage, the man is seen pulling out his gloved fists and swiftly striking one the victims, causing her to fall over, then punching her at least a half dozen more times while she's on the ground.

The other woman runs away, but the assailant catches up and punches her in the head as he flees the area.

Police said both women were taken to hospital by ambulance and treated for various injuries, including a broken orbital bone.

Based on the video, police believe the women may have been targeted, but investigators haven't determined a motive for the attack. The victims don't know the attacker, Doucette said, and police have considered the possibility that the incident was a case of mistaken identity.

"Until we actually have an opportunity to sit down and have a chat with this person, we're not going to know," Doucette said.

Authorities aren't releasing the location of the attack to protect the privacy of the women involved, he added.

Investigators spent five months trying to identify the suspect, but have run out of leads, which is why they are appealing to the public for help.

Anyone who recognizes the man in the footage is asked to call the Vancouver Police Department at 604-717-9189, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Correction: The incident happened on May 4, not April 5 as was originally reported by police.