Police are searching for a pair of suspects after a victim was stabbed in a robbery outside a Coquitlam, B.C. mall earlier this year.

The incident occurred on Jan. 25 at about 4:30 p.m., Mounties said Thursday.

Two suspects used pepper spray to rob a teenage international student of his two-wheeled hoverboard outside Henderson Place Mall on Pinetree Way.

His friend, also an international student, chased after the suspects and confronted them at the corner of Westwood Street and Glen Drive. During the confrontation, the student was stabbed.

The teen's injuries were serious but not life-threatening, police said. He is expected to recover from the injury.

"We have seen hoverboards stolen before. They're valuable. People want them and they can be re-sold on the black market," Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said.

Officers are asking witnesses to come forward to help identify the two suspects, seen in surveillance camera footage released by police. While there were many people in the areas of the robbery and stabbing, only a few have spoken with investigators.

"We're fairly sure there are people who saw these suspects hanging out before the robbery or after the crime," McLaughlin said.

"We've done a lot of canvassing, a lot of investigation. We haven't identified as many witnesses as we expected to. That means there are maybe witnesses that are reluctant to speak to police or it didn't occur to them."

A translator will be provided for anyone who saw the stabbing but does not speak English as a first language, he said.

McLaughlin added that investigators believe the victims may have been targeted because they're international students.

"This is a traumatic experience and certainly for anybody new to Canada, we don't want to leave them with this impression that's what we're like. We're working really hard to solve this."

He added that the incident serves as a reminder of why victims shouldn't chase after thieves – they don't know whether the robbers have a weapon, and a hoverboard isn't worth dying for.

The first suspect has been described as a male in his mid- to late teens, who is medium height with a slim build. Police said he had a "medium complexion," and was wearing skinny jeans, a dark hoodie, a dark long-sleeved jacket with three white stripes down the sleeves and dark shoes.

The second suspect is around the same age, and also described as being of medium height and slim build. He is white, and was wearing skinny jeans, a dark jacket with maroon sleeves and a hood and black sneakers.

Those with more information are asked to contact Coquitlam Mounties at 604-945-1550 and ask for the Investigative Support Team. The case file number is 2018-2723.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Shannon Paterson