Vancouver police look for man who allegedly bear sprayed London Drugs employee while stealing

Vancouver police are looking for witnesses to a violent attack Tuesday that involved a shoplifting suspect assaulting a London Drugs employee with bear mace.

Police said Thursday in a statement that a man walked into the flagship store at Granville and West Georgia streets at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

He appeared to be shopping for vitamins but when security staff noticed he was putting the bottles into his backpack without paying, they confronted him.

Police said that's when the man attacked the employee.

"The suspect used bear mace against a store employee," said Const. Tania Visintin. "The spray was applied directly to the victim's face."

Police investigators are now looking for a white male in his 40s or 50s, about five feet, five inches tall with an average build.

He was wearing a black hooded sweater with a black jacket, dark blue jeans, and a baseball cap with a yellow brim, the statement said.

The suspect was also wearing a blue medical mask and carrying a black backpack.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect from the photo is asked to call Vancouver Police at 604-717-4021.