Employees at a Spokane grocery store pepper sprayed the front doors to try to stop two suspected booze thieves from attacking them on Friday, police say.

Police say Kerry Alan Zaugg, 24, appeared to be preparing to assault an employee at Grocery Boys, 3430 N. Crestline St., with a stolen $60 bottle of Grey Goose vodka until another employee emerged from the store with a baseball bat.

Zaugg had been chased in the parking lot after running from the store with the booze.

Co-defendant Norman L. Caoile, 25, was standing nearby and told employees to let Zaugg go after he gave them back the bottle. When an employee instead called 911, Caoile tried to knock the phone from his hand, then chased the employees back to the store with a tire iron, police say.

Police arrested the men in the parking lot. Caoile told officers he was trying to defend Zaugg with the tire iron because employees were continuing to attack him even after he'd given the booze bottle back.

Friday was the first day grocery stores could sell liquor in Washington. Zaugg and Caoile appeared in Superior Court Monday on charges of first-degree robbery.

Spokane police are looking for tips on a serial robber suspected of targeting Hillyard convenience stores.

The latest holdup occurred Friday when police say a man with a handgun stole money from the Qwik Stop, 3021 E. Wellesley Ave., about 12:45 a.m.  after pulling a black and white scarf over his face. He’s described as in his 20s with dark complexion, 6 feet tall and average build. He wore a black coat and blue jeans. 

The same gunman is believed to have robbed two other Hillyard stores three times late last month, Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said today.

Surveillance photos from Conoco, 3501 E. Francis Ave., show a man in a blue hooded sweatshirt pointing a gun at a clerk and demanding cash on Oct. 24 about 7:45 p.m.

The same robber is believed to have struck Kwik Stop & Go, 4713 N. Crestline, the mornings of Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.

Anyone with information on a suspect is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.