Police are on the hunt for multiple suspects who they say smashed display cases at a jewellery store in the Greater Toronto Area and walked out with valuables.

Authorities say they were called about a robbery at Upper Canada Mall shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday.

A witness tells CityNews that the robbery happened at Peoples Jewellers, which is located on the first floor of the shopping centre.

Officers responded to the scene within minutes because they happened to be inside the mall participating in a community outreach event for the holidays.

Staff Sgt. Peter Cheung told reporters Saturday evening that 3 or 4 suspects entered the store wearing face coverings and were armed with hammers.

The suspects allegedly sprayed one police officer and two security guards with pepper spray before fleeing the scene in a dark SUV.

A witness told CityNews that bystanders in the area were also seen coughing from the fumes.

The suspects are still at large.