A man who sprayed bear mace on two people during a robbery at a Big Lots store in north Bakersfield will spend five years in prison after being convicted of robbery and use of a tear gas weapon.

The incident happened in September 2024 when Victor Perez filled a shopping cart with items and left the store on Olive Drive without paying. He sprayed the mace in the faces of a security guard and a store employee who tried to stop him.

A jury also found Perez guilty of resisting arrest and providing a false name to peace officers.