Police are searching for a man who assaulted two store attendants with bear spray during an armed robbery at the Clyde Corner Store on Friday afternoon.
RCMP say the suspect entered the store at around 3.15 p.m. June 5 and threatened two attendants with a large hunting knife before demanding money — he doused both clerks with bear spray as he left.
He fled the scene on foot as RCMP officers from the Westlock Detachment converged on Clyde and placed it in lockdown.
“We’re concerned about the store staff getting sprayed and are helping them cope with the incident and making sure they’re alright,” said RCMP Cpl. Dennis Properzi.
Police set up roadblocks across the area and turned residents away from the downtown as they waited for a K-9 unit to help locate the offender.
The man is described as Caucasian, about 6 ft. tall and weighing 220 lbs. He was wearing a black hoodie, tan coverall type pants and a motorcycle mask with red, white and black colours that covered his face below the eyes.
A large hunting knife was used during the commission of the offence along with the bear spray.
Properzi said that it was difficult for the two victims to give an accurate description after being assaulted.
“The store staff got bear sprayed, so their recollection of the events and details are going to be pretty minute because they were blinded,” he said.
Paramedics treated both victims at the scene and they did not require hospital care.
They are said to be affected by their ordeal and have been provided support though Victim Services.
Police involvement in the hunt for the perpetrator was hampered by a second, unrelated, high-speed chase that required assistance from officers dealing with the Clyde robbery.
“We had our operation taking place and we were setting up for that and then we got notification of a pretty high-risk pursuit coming in from the Gibbons area,” Properzi said.
“We basically said to the store owners, ‘We’ve got to pack up, pull out of here, we’re going to intervene in this pursuit.’”
Investigations are continuing into the robbery as officers continue to canvas the area for clues and witnesses.
Police suspect the offender may have escaped in a vehicle located nearby, but need help confirming that.
It’s also not known where the offender came from and while not ruling anything out, police believe there’s a good chance he’s come from outside the area.
Properzi said he’d be working with colleagues, as well as Edmonton police, in an attempt to identify a suspect.
“I’m going to be liaising with the Edmonton robbery section and see if there’s any candidates that they have that has the same method of operation and description that might fit the profile,” he said.
“Usually, if somebody is going to be going off the deep-end and starting to do armed robberies around here, we’re kind of in the loop a little bit.
“For someone to come out of Edmonton and pick off an easy target, it’s plausible.”
Westlock RCMP urge anyone with information about the robbery, especially witnesses who may have seen anything or anyone suspicious in the Clyde area between 3 and 3.30 p.m. on Friday, to contact either them at 780-349-4492 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
