It's a scene played out on countless streets across North America.

A panhandler approaches a vehicle and asks the driver for money.

Except on August 6 around 1 p.m. in downtown Vancouver, things went terribly wrong for a 25-year-old motorist when he responded that he didn't have any change.

The panhandler became highly agitated and hurled a bottle through the window, injuring the driver as he tried to escape.

It occurred on West Georgia Street in the heart of the city, not far from the Vancouver Art Gallery.

“We are extremely concerned by the random nature of this assault, which occurred in the middle of the day on a busy downtown street,” Vancouver police Sgt. Steve Addison said in a news release. “We want people to be aware of this incident, and to contact us if they can identify the suspect.”

The suspect was wearing a teal hoodie and loose-fitting jeans.