Elderly male robbed of vehicle in Sicamous after picking up stranger in Salmon Arm

Sicamous

2023-12-04 13:23 PST

File # 2023-1919

On Friday December 1st, at 3:30 p.m., Sicamous RCMP were notified that an elderly male had been assaulted and his vehicle had been stolen. Police attended to a gas station in Sicamous where they spoke with the victim and a witness to the robbery of his vehicle.

The owner of the vehicle, a 90-year-old resident of Salmon Arm had been at a fast food restaurant in Salmon Arm earlier that afternoon when he was approached outside by a man that he did not know. The man was persistent in asking him for a ride east on the highway. The victim eventually agreed to drive the man east and they departed in his small SUV.

The victim pulled into a gas station in Sicamous where he told the stranger that was as far as he would be taking him. The man then grabbed the keys from the ignition of the vehicle. He told the victim to exit the vehicle before striking him once in the head and pushing the victim out of his own vehicle.

A witness to the robbery of the victim called police to report what they had witnessed. Revelstoke RCMP had set up a roadblock in an attempt to locate the stolen vehicle however the vehicle was located abandoned in the Malakwa area by patrolling RCMP. Footprints from the vehicle led back to the highway.

Despite an extensive search of the area the suspect responsible for the robbery was not located.

The suspect was described as possibly in his 40s and wearing a plaid lumber jack style jacket that was black or blue in color. The man had a scruffy appearance and was 6' tall with an average build.

The victim was treated at the scene and transported to hospital minor injuries to his face and hand.

"This incident illustrates the dangers associated with offering rides to people you are unfamiliar with," says Sgt. Murray McNeil, Sicamous RCMP Detachment Commander.

"If you are intimidated by the persistence of someone asking for a ride or money outside a business, go inside and inform staff who can call police to assist you. I find this crime particularly disturbing as the suspect took advantage of an elderly man who offered to help him. The suspect used violence to rob an innocent senior of their vehicle who could not defend themselves after they had agreed to offer assistance to a person they did not know."

Anyone with information related to the identity of the person responsible for this crime can contact the Sicamous RCMP or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Released by:

Email: james.grandy@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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