Literal case of highway robbery west of Calgary: RCMP

A Good Samaritan ended up a victim Saturday afternoon after stopping to help what appeared to be four young women stranded on the side of the highway with a broken down vehicle.

According to a news release from RCMP Monday, the woman was travelling eastbound on Highway 1 around 1:30 p.m. Jan. 21 when she saw a car off on the shoulder of the road with the hood up, and four females waving for someone to stop.

RCMP said the woman pulled over, thinking the four women needed help. However once she got out of her own vehicle she was assaulted by one of the women, and all four subsequently got into the victim’s car and drove away.

RCMP told Global News a witness called 911 and the woman’s vehicle was found a short time later travelling on the Stony Nakoda First Nation. Police said they tried to get the women, now driving the victim’s vehicle, to stop, but were led to a wooded area within the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. RCMP said the women took off on foot, and RCMP called in the Calgary Police Dog Service  and the HAWCS helicopter and were able to find two of the four women.

Police said the vehicle that had been pulled over on Highway 1 near Highway 68 turned out to be a stolen vehicle that was taken the day before, Jan. 20.

Karine Beaver, 25, and Michelle Twoyoungmen, 27, both from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation have been charged with robbery and possession of property obtained by crime. RCMP are still searching for the other two women.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Cochrane RCMP at 403-851-8000 or Crime Stoppers.