Toronto police are searching for a man who they say committed a number of purse snatch robberies in North York on Thursday.

The robberies, of which police said there are several, occurred in the area of Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West.

Police said the suspect, who has been identified by investigators as 29-year-old Toronto resident Valter Pereira Cabral, was allegedly seen fleeing the area in a black Volkswagen with a Nova Scotia licence plate JMA 239.

Cabral is considered violent, police said, and is wanted on a number of charges including two counts of robbery, fail to comply with probation, assault with a weapon, assault, and criminal harassment.

“If located, do not approach, and call 911,” police said in a news release issued Saturday evening.

Police are asking anyone with information related to the alleged robberies to contact them at 416-808-3300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.