Kamloops RCMP are asking for help in identifying a suspect after a retail employee was assaulted with bear spray on Tuesday evening.

RCMP spokesperson Const. Crystal Evelyn says a man in a blonde wig and mask got into the store in the 500-block of Notre Dame Drive around 6:36 p.m. and shopped for a bit, before he tried to leave the store without paying.

“When an employee attempted to stop the man from leaving, he discharged a can of bear spray,” she said.

The suspect is a white man between the age of 20 and 30 years. In addition to his blonde wig and mask, he was wearing a white t-shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt and camo pants.

The man fled the store on food through the back door, ran to a parking lot on Summit Drive and sped away in a grey SUV, but no license place information is available.

Police are also investigating after two suspects robbed another business in Sahali on Saturday where one of the men had bear spray with him. It is not clear if the two incidents are connected.

If you have any information, or if you recognize the suspect, you’re asked to call Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000.