Seven minutes after a woman went inside a St. Paul store, a man smashed her vehicle’s window and stole her purse, police said Thursday as they released surveillance photos of the suspect.

The 37-year-old woman found the damage when she came out of the business after 15 minutes. Police responded to the theft at about 12:15 p.m. Monday at University Avenue and Virginia Street.

“It can happen very fast,” said Steve Linders, St. Paul police spokesman. “…The victim here didn’t do anything wrong, but it’s a good lesson for us all to never keep valuables in your car unattended. This is a crime of opportunity and one of the easiest ways to prevent that is to remove the opportunity.

Surveillance video from a local business showed a man walking back-and-forth next to the woman’s sport-utility vehicle for several minutes before using a tool to smash the window, Linders said. He grabbed the woman’s purse from the front seat and ran away.

UPDATE: Community tips lead to arrest of man suspected of smashing window, stealing purse

The man is described as being white, 25-to-30-years-old, with a slender build, a scruffy beard and chop sideburns. He was wearing jeans, a jean jacket, black and white stocking cap and red backpack.

Police are asking anyone with information about the man’s identity or whereabouts to call them at 651-266-5959.