Victoria police say they were flooded with tips after a photo of a man accused of robbing an elderly woman circulated on Facebook.

At approximately 5 p.m. Saturday evening, an 80-year-old woman was walking near Fort and Langley streets when she was approached by the accused.

He grabbed her purse, threw her to the ground and took off.

Many witnesses ran after the suspect, chasing him into the Bay Centre where they lost him.

Security footage of the scene shows the man throwing off his jacket in what police believe to be an attempt to change his appearance. The same footage shows him exiting the mall a short while later.

Later that night, police released a security camera photo of the suspect, which was posted on the Facebook pages of several local businesses.

Someone spotted the photo on radio station The Ocean’s Facebook page and notified police. With that tip, police were able to confirm the identity of the accused and arrested him at his home Sunday afternoon.

An 18-year-old Saanich man known to police is in custody and is expected to appear in court on Monday.