Elderly woman shaken after gunpoint robbery in broad daylight

An elderly woman is badly shaken after being robbed in broad daylight while walking in the Auckland suburb of Browns Bay.

The 77-year-old victim was walking on the right hand side of Beach Road at 11.15 yesterday morning when a male approached her demanding her handbag.

Detective Darren Attwood says when the victim refused, the offender presented a metal object and pointed it straight at her chest.

He says the object was covered in a black cloth but appeared to be a gun barrel.

Detective Attwood says the offender ripped the bag from the woman's shoulder and ran across Beach Road and got into a waiting vehicle.

Police are looking for a male Caucasian, with olive skin, in his early 20s, who was wearing dark trousers, and a black hooded sweatshirt or jacket.

The car he got into was an older model 'brick red' flat deck ute, which had a wooden tray on the back and was covered in mud.

The woman is badly shaken but otherwise unharmed, and is receiving assistance from Victim Support.

additional reporting Newstalk ZB