WATERVILLE – The daylight robbery of an Oakland woman who was knocked to the ground by two men was the second such attack within a week in the city’s South End.

The robbers assaulted Tammy Bass around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday as she got out of a friend’s car outside a variety store on Water Street, police said. The attackers grabbed her purse, which was slung over her shoulder, and one man kicked the woman until she let go of it.

The robbers fled on foot. Bass was transported by ambulance to Inland Hospital, where she was examined and then released.

Police Detective John Weeks says the robbery was similar to a Nov. 7 attack in which a Morning Sentinel newspaper carrier was assaulted from behind and robbed as he left his vehicle.

Weeks said the robberies may be linked to the presence of hard drugs in the neighborhood.

“We’ve had a lot of drug activity in the South End. There’s people down in that area that need to have drugs,” he said.