A shocking video has been released showing the moment a 76-year-old woman was robbed and beaten while attending a church Sunday service. The CCTV footage from St Cecilia's Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska shows two apparently teenage boys approach the unnamed elderly woman as she is reading a copy of the parish newspaper at the church's welcome table. One of the assailants snatches her bag and runs off while the other punches the woman in the head, sending her crashing to the floor.

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The woman was quickly taken to a local hospital where she was treated for a bump to the head and scrapes to her face.

Rev. James Netusil, who was in the church sacristy preparing for the 11:30am mass at the time, later told Omaha.com that he was disgusted by the incident. "Honestly, I saw the video for the first time this morning, and it just makes you cringe," Netusil said.

"After the first kid grabbed her purse, the second one hits her, and there's no point to it. It was just evil," he added.

The church and Omaha police are asking anyone with information about the suspected attackers to come forward.