The 61-year-old man who was critically injured after attempting to stop a theft is being identified on social media as Iain Armstrong.

A Facebook page has been set up called, “Pray for Iain Armstrong,” to provide updates on the Good Samaritan.

Edmonton police were called to Southgate Centre on Tuesday morning after a man “was severely beaten.”

Rene Rodrigue works at the mall and witnessed the attack, describing the incident as a horrific.

Rodrigue said he noticed four to six young men were hanging around a cosmetic kiosk that was unstaffed.

“One of the young men reached into where the cash draw was. At that point, I yelled at him, drew attention to the scene. He quickly pulled the cash drawer out, grabbed a wire cutter, cut the security cable and started running,” he said.

“The Good Samaritan showed up. He tried to detain him by grabbing ahold of him. There was a scuffle; a couple of blows were thrown by the perpetrator to the Good Samaritan.”

In an update Wednesday afternoon, a post on the Facebook page said Armstrong remains in a coma with some brain damage and "has a severe spinal cord injury that has resulted in paralysis."

The post also said it will likely take doctors a few more days to know more about Armstrong's prognosis.

“Please continue to hold Iain...and the entire Armstrong family, in your prayers and your hearts,” the Facebook post said.

Armstrong is one of the co-founders of Bunches Flower Co., an Edmonton floral business with five locations in the city.

Suspect on the lam

EPS said the suspect has not been located but the mall’s surveillance cameras captured much of the incident.

“Very good video here in the mall, security was very helpful, we were able to review the whole incident itself and get some very good pictures of our suspect that fled the mall,” Insp. Johnson said.

Insp. Johnson described the suspect as a male in his 20s – but police did not release additional details on the suspect.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call police at 780-423-4567 or #377 on a mobile phone. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).