An intruder broke into a townhouse in Bonson's Landing in Pitt Meadows on Tuesday afternoon, waking up a 19-year-old and injuring him slightly.

The Barnston View Road home was broken into between 4:15 and 4:45 p.m. where a young man was sleeping.

He woke up when he heard the noise of the suspect entering the home. The suspect then grabbed a plate from a nearby table and struck the victim with it before running off.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, approximately six feet tall, wearing a dark-coloured baseball hat, and grey track pants.

The resident suffered a cut to his head, but was not seriously injured.

"This is a challenging case," said Ridge Meadows RCMP Insp. Dave Fleugel. "Our victim was totally taken by surprise, and did not get a good look at the suspect. We are very relieved he was not badly injured. I do want to notify all of our citizens, especially our Pitt Meadows residents about this file. Residential break and enters do not normally occur when people are home. Although nothing was taken, investigators believe the suspect's motive was to steal property and only reacted after being surprised that the young man was home."

"We want to remind citizens to safe guard themselves by locking doors, including garage doors, and windows," Fleugel added. "The more difficult you can make it, the less likely a thief will get in, or even try. You can also help police by reporting all suspicious people. If you see someone in your neighbourhood acting in a suspicious manner, please call us so we can check it out."

Anyone with any information in regards to any of these, or other, crimes is asked to contact Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251. To remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip online at www.bccrimestoppers.com. Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $2,000 if your information leads to an arrest and conviction.