Suspect charged with robbery after South Vancouver purse-snatching, police say

The intersection of Fraser Street and East 45th Avenue is seen on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (CTV News)

A 51-year-old man has been charged with robbery after allegedly snatching a woman’s purse in South Vancouver Tuesday.

Vancouver police say they were called to the vicinity of Fraser Street and East 45th Avenue around 9 a.m. after receiving “reports that a man had tried to rob a 68-year-old woman of her purse.”

A witness called 911, and officers were able to locate and arrest the suspect, who police identified as Chris Fyfe in a news release Wednesday.

Fyfe appeared in court on Tuesday and was released on bail, according to online court records. His next appearance is scheduled for Jan. 15 at Vancouver provincial court.

Court records show another upcoming court date for a man with the same name and year of birth.

In that case, Chris Fyfe is charged with theft under $5,000, an offence that allegedly occurred on March 8 of this year. The accused was arrested on a warrant in November. The next appearance in the matter is scheduled for Jan. 5.

Asked for more information about the March 8 incident, Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison told CTV News in an email that police were called to the BC Liquor store on Cambie Street near West 41st Avenue for a report that a man had stolen alcohol.

Workers at the store had held the man in custody until police arrived to arrest him. He was then released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date, Addison said.

Addison declined to confirm whether the same Chris Fyfe is the accused in both cases.