Two off-duty Quesnel RCMP officers were bear sprayed by a robbery suspect outside Walmart in South Quesnel on Friday evening.
According to an RCMP press release, the officers were shopping inside the store when they heard an employee yelling at a man who had stolen a television and then threatened staff with bear spray.
Both officers chased the suspect through the parking lot towards Highway 97.
One officer caught up to the suspect and identified himself as a police officer in an attempt to arrest him.
The suspect dropped the television, pulled out a canister of bear spray and sprayed the first officer directly in the face at close range.
The second officer was also hit with the spray.
Police set up containment in the area and called for the Police Dog Service to attend from Prince George. Unfortunately, the suspect fled on foot from the scene and was not captured. RCMP believe he may have had an accomplice waiting for him in a vehicle nearby.
Luckily, neither officer sustained any lasting injury.
Police ask anyone with information about the man involved in this incident to call the Quesnel Detachment at 250-992-9211 or BC Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
READ MORE: Quesnel crime rate almost four times national average in 2017
