Employees beaten, threatened in Burnaby mask dispute: RCMP

Burnaby RCMP are looking to identify a man they say assaulted and threatened staff at a shop who asked him why he wasn’t wearing a mask.

Police say the incident happened in a store on 1st Avenue just east of Boundary Road around 12:30 p.m. on May 8.

Investigators said the suspect responded to the mask query by attacking the employee, and punching him in the head and back when he fell to the ground.

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The man then allegedly threatened to kill another worker with a knife when they tried to intervene.

0:29 Vancouver man not wearing a mask wanted for assault

Video surveillance shows the suspect using a pair of bolt cutters to smash the store’s front window as he left the building.

Police are looking for a Caucasian man with a blonde buzz cut. At the time of the assault, he was wearing a dark grey hoodie, light blue jeans and dark running shoes.

Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999.