A woman was taken to hospital after she was assaulted in the head with a "sharp object" on Sunday evening on Cannon Street East, police said.

The woman was walking from a convenience store near Cannon and Wentworth streets around 7 p.m. Sunday. A man she didn't know passed her, then turned around and assaulted her "several times with a sharp object to her head," according to a news release from Hamilton police.

She was treated for minor injuries at the hospital and released.

The suspect ran away, southbound on Steven Street and then down an alley, police said.

"The suspect is unknown to the victim and it appears to be a random attack," police said.

Police said they are now looking for a man who is about six feet one inch or six feet two inches tall, with a thin build and who was wearing dark clothing. They did not include the suspect's race or age in the description.

They ask any witnesses or anyone with information to get in touch with Central Station detectives or Crime Stoppers.