Police say a shoplifter punched a store employee in the face after the clerk confronted him about stealing a bottle of alcohol October 11.

A shopper spotted the suspect attempting to shoplift the alcohol from a store in the 400 block of East Braddock Road and alerted employees about 10:01 p.m., authorities said. The clerk then approached the suspect and asked about the theft, sparking a verbal altercation, according to officials.
    
When the clerk made a derogatory comment, the suspect hit him in the face and fled the store, said Jody Donaldson, department spokesman. 
    
Authorities dont know if he took the alcohol with him.
    
The suspected is described as black, bearded and in his forties. He was wearing a white long sleeved shirt, dark pants and a blue baseball cap.