Man wearing ninja mask robs woman with her children after church

MATTHEWS, N.C. — A woman, along with her son and his friend, left a Matthews church Saturday night and got into a vehicle when police said a man wearing a ninja mask approached them, pointed a pistol and demanded she give him her purse.

The robbery happened at about 10:40 p.m. at the Assembly of God church on Monroe Road.

“Mask, gloves,” the mother, Claudia Brage, said.

Authorities searched for the man, who was about 6 feet tall with a slim build, wearing all black, but couldn’t find him.

Surveillance video showed the man and a car he possibly used, a silver sedan.

"Well, that's what we worry about,” Matthews Police Officer Tim Aycock said. “If he's done that before, if he's willing to do it again, that kind of thing. So, that's a big concern."

Aycock said that type of crime is uncommon for the area but it's a reminder to everyone to stay aware of their surroundings.

"It's key for your situational awareness, especially with kids because your attention's divided that much more,” Aycock said. “Just get in the habit of looking around."

Nobody was injured, police said.

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