This is the shocking moment a car thief drives off in a stolen car dragging a woman dog walker and her pet along the road and breaking her arm in the process.

The Houston Police Department’s Robbery Division said in a statement that the suspect in the footage approached the woman with a gun at the 900 block of Studewood, in Houston, Texas yesterday, 25th October.

According to the statement the victim, who was not named, was walking her dog when the suspect approached her demanding that she hand over her purse at gunpoint.

The police also shared a video of the shocking incident with the woman wearing a short white dress and walking the black and white dog as the car circles through a petrol station seemingly looking for a victim.

As seen in the footage the victim wrestles with the suspect for the purse and eventually ends up next to the getaway vehicle, a red Chevrolet HHR.

The suspect jumps in and tries to drive off but the woman’s coat gets caught in the car door.

As the car pulls away both the woman and her dog which she has on a leash are dragged along the road.

After several seconds of being dragged along the woman’s coat comes loose and she tumbles onto the concrete.

Some reports say that rather than the coat coming free, the criminals had actually pushed the woman away from the car leaving her to fall to the road and injure herself.

The emergency services were called who treated the woman for a broken arm. It is not clear if the dog sustained any major injuries.

The suspect is wanted by police who have appealed to the public to come forward if they can identify the man in the footage.

Police described the suspect as a: “Hispanic male, thin build, black pants, and multicolored jacket.”

They also said that there was a USD 5000 reward to anybody that had information about the attacker and can contact the Crime Stoppers of Houston directly to claim the reward.

In a message posted on their Twitter account the local police said: “We need your help to identify the suspect(s) responsible for dragging a female and her dog after forcibly taking her purse at gunpoint on Sept. 25 at the 900 block of Studemont. If you recognize the male or the vehicle, call @CrimeStopHOU.”