A violent offender who walked away from his Vancouver halfway house earlier this week is back in custody after trying unsuccessfully to rob a 59-year-old shopkeeper, say police.

Spokesman Const. Howard Chow says convicted killer Daniel Perrault's problems began when he tried to rob a convenience store on Cordova Street on Wednesday evening.

Vancouver police had released this photo of Daniel Perrault after he walked away from his halfway house.
(Vancouver Police Department)

He says the 33-year-old Perrault walked into the store armed with a box cutter and demanded money from the lone woman behind the counter.

"She describes him as looking quite normal. Then all of a sudden he throws the bag at her and says, 'Put the money in the bag.' And she looks back at him and says, 'Are you crazy?'

"At this point, she reaches down and grabs a can of  pepper spray and sprays him, he drops the bag and runs out of the store and she gives chase."
 
Chow says the woman stopped her pursuit of the man when she ran through the cloud of her own pepper spray and began screaming, attracting the attention of two security guards.

"These two guys caught up with our suspect. A big struggle took place, our members got on scene really quickly and they were able to get him under control and handcuffed."

Perrault was at the end of a 15-year sentence for manslaughter and sexual assault before he went missing from his halfway house. Chow says he now faces several new charges.