LETHBRIDGE – Lethbridge police are attempting to identify the culprit in an overnight kidnapping where a man was forced to drive a suspect around Lethbridge before being abandoned on the Blood Reserve.
According to Lethbridge Police Service officials, a man, age not released, was sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot of the McDonald's in the 400 block of Mayor Magrath Drive North late Sunday night when he was confronted by a man armed with a machete.
The suspect entered the vehicle, threatened the driver and forced him to drive to an ATM to withdraw cash. After the forced withdrawal, the suspect had the driver continue to the supervised consumption site. The suspect spoke with someone, who police have since identified but have not yet interviewed, outside the supervised consumption site.
Following the supervised consumption site visit, the driver was made to drive to a location on the Blood Reserve where the driver was forced out of his vehicle and left on the side of the road.
The victim managed to wave down a passing vehicle for assistance but the suspect returned in the stolen vehicle and threatened both the victim and the driver who had stopped to help.
The robbery victim and the passerby drove off while the suspect gave chase in the victim's vehicle. Police from several jurisdictions were called to the area and located the stolen vehicle being driven at high speed on the Blood Reserve.
Police pursued the vehicle but the suspect evaded officers. The stolen vehicle was found abandoned a short time later in Fort Macleod but the suspect was nowhere to be found.
The suspect is described as:
- An Aboriginal male
- Believed to be in his late 20s
- Having a thin build
The robbery victim suffered minor injuries during the ordeal.
LPS officials confirm a weapons complaint involving a machete was reported in the 2100 block of Fifth Avenue late Sunday night, at roughly the same time as the kidnapping, and investigators suspect the two incidents may be related.
Anyone with information the kidnapping is asked to contact the Lethbridge Police Service at 403-328-4444 or anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers.
