VICTORIA -- Nanaimo RCMP are searching for a man after a store clerk was allegedly assaulted for defending a customer.

Police say the incident occurred around 6:40 p.m. Monday at the James General Store, located at 600 Victoria Rd.

At the store, an employee heard shouting just outside the front door of the business. The male employee could hear a man yelling at someone else to give him cigarettes.

The worker stepped outside and told the man to leave the customer alone. At that point, the suspect “charged at the employee and began assaulting him,” according to Nanaimo RCMP.

During the struggle, the employee suffered two black eyes, cuts, and laceration to his face.

Police say the worker was “visibly shaken” but did not require further medical attention.

Mounties searched for the suspect that evening but were unable to locate him. Police are now asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the man.

He is described as a white male who stands roughly 6’ tall with a slim build and blonde hair. At the time, he was wearing a distinctive black and white hoodie with the word RCKLSS on the front. He was also wearing sunglasses.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.