Horrifying moment robber smashes an 85-year-old Spanish woman to the ground with his elbow after she bravely tried to stop him stealing her money

A thief violently smashed a Spanish woman to the ground with his elbow after she bravely tried to stop him from stealing her purse.

CCTV video captures the 85-year-old woman as she enters an apartment building in Valencia followed by a Romanian man at around 2pm on Tuesday.

The clip then shows the robber as he attempts to steal money from inside her bag, which the pensioner determinedly clings onto and tries to pull out of his grasp. 

But rather than letting go, the 34-year-old man pushes the elderly woman into the wall before brutally elbowing her in the face.

Moment 85-year-old woman is brutally elbowed in face by a thief

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Shocking CCTV footage (pictured) captures the 85-year-old woman as she enters an apartment building in Valencia followed by a Romanian man at around 2pm on Tuesday

She drops to the ground and the man makes a swift exit with her purse.

The woman was later found bleeding from the head in the foyer and was rushed to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

Her stolen purse had contained €40 (£36), credit cards and the woman's identification card, police said. 

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The clip then shows the robber as he attempts to steal money from inside her bag, which the pensioner determinedly clings onto and tries to pull out of his grasp

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The 34-year-old man then pushes the elderly woman into the wall before brutally elbowing her in the face

Officers searched the area around the city centre apartment block and at around 11pm a patrol car spotted a man matching the woman's description in San Agustin of Valencia Square.

He was arrested for violent robbery.

The man, 34, from Romania, was found to have a previous criminal record.

His victim is today being treated in hospital but is not in a serious condition, El Espanol reported.