Police officers responded to a robbery Wednesday night at the Walmart on 2020 Gunbarrel Road in Chattanooga.
At about 10:04 p.m., a white male approached a 29-year-old woman inside the store and sprayed her in the face with mace then took off with her purse, Officer Nathan Hartwig said.
As the suspect tried to run off, several customers tried to stop him. A 31-year-old man was maced in the process, Hartwig said. A 7-year-old also inhaled some of the fumes from the mace.
The suspect threw the victim's purse on the ground before fleeing the area in a truck. The case is ongoing and investigators are working on leads, Hartwig said.