Robber accused of chemical assault after using bear spray at Tri-Cities stores

At least one person needed medical attention after a 24-year-old accused shoplifter allegedly used pepper spray to make his getaway.

Miguel Angel Martinez Donis allegedly deployed the chemical spray inside Ulta and Ross on Queensgate in December to stop people from pursuing him out the door when he ran away with items, court documents said.

Multiple customers and employees complained of eye and respiratory pain. And one woman needed medical treatment for an asthma attack.

Now he is charged with five counts of second-degree assault using poison or a destructive or noxious substance and two counts of second-degree robbery.

Martinez Donis is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail in the Benton County jail, according to public records.

He allegedly went into Ulta during the afternoon of Dec. 6 and stuffed several items into a reusable shopping back. He walked past the cash registers and sprayed behind him to stop any pursuit, court documents said.

Security video showed the can was bigger than needed for personal use, and was similar to the ones used to deter bears or for crowd control

He escaped with $462 in merchandise and damaged more than $5,800 in cosmetic products with the spray.

The chemicals affected everyone inside the store. While it’s unclear how many people were there, three people were named in court documents.

A week later, Martinez Donis allegedly went into Ross at about the same time in the afternoon. He grabbed $1,500 in items and sprayed multiple people on his way out of the store.

One of the Ross employees he sprayed needed medical treatment for an asthma attack. Another woman was named as a victim of the spray.

Richland police shared photos of the suspect to the community. A Walmart loss prevention officer identified Martinez Donis.

Police arrested him on Jan. 9. He allegedly told officers he’d used the bear spray to stop store employees from following him out the door.