Kingston Police are searching for a suspect after a violent Canada Day robbery on Brock Street.

Just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, a man carrying a black backpack entered the Convenience Top store at the corner of Brock and Nelson streets.

Video surveillance shows the man approach the 62-year-old male store clerk, pull what appears to be a handgun from the pack bag and gesture towards the till. Standing, and stepping towards the suspect with his hands outstretched, the suspect strikes the clerk approximately eight times with the handgun in the head and face.

As the suspect points the handgun at him, the clerk opens the till and gives the suspect an undisclosed quantity of cash. The suspect then flees the store, putting the gun back in the backpack.

The suspect is described as a 20- to 35-year-old Caucasian male with average build and height, approximately six feet tall and weighing 170 pounds. At the time of the robbery, the suspect was wearing a black hoodie with a red-and-white "CANADA" on the chest and red striping under the arms and down both sides. There appears to be a white logo or tag on the front centre portion of the hood. He was wearing black pants with white stripes on both legs, black-and-white running shoes, and a black balaclava or scarf covering his face.

Detectives from the Major Crime Unit are asking nearby residents in the Brock Street and Nelson Street areas to check the property around their residence in case any clothing or other potential evidence from the suspect may have been discarded.

Anyone with information on the robbery or identifying the suspect is asked to contact Det. Blair Watt at 613-549-4660, ext. 6320, or by email at bwatt@kpf.ca.

steph.crosier@sunmedia.ca