POLICE – Shoplifter pulls bear spray on clerk at Columbia Street West store

A suspected shoplifter pulled a canister of bear spray on a store employee who tried to prevent the theft of a jacket Thursday afternoon.

The Summit Centre Atmosphere store, located in the 1100 block of Columbia Street West, reported the incident about 5 p.m. RCMP received a report that the suspect was confronted by a staff member as he attempted to leave the store with the jacket.

A struggle followed, during which the suspect pulled out a large canister of bear spray and aimed it at the clerk. The spray did not deploy and the man ran away with the jacket.

“We are very happy that the bear spray did not deploy on the staff member and that no serious injuries occurred during this incident,” said RCMP Sgt Darren Michels.

“We are hoping that the photographs and the unique description of the male may help us identify this suspect.”

The man is described as Caucasian, 5’9″ tall, 160 lbs, wearing a camouflage baseball cap, a grey hoody, red t-shirt, jeans, and black and white runners. He also has an eyebrow piercing over one eye and a blue/green tattoo of two lines over his left eye. He was carrying a black duffle bag with “A+ Teacher” visible on the outside.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident or the identity of the suspect is asked to call the Kamloops RCMP at (250) 828-3000 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-2477.