A Lethbridge, Alta., man is facing charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and unlawful confinement after police say a woman was pulled into a vehicle and held against her will last week.
Lethbridge police say they responded to a report just after midnight Friday that a woman had been forced inside a vehicle and kidnapped.
According to authorities, the woman was found a short time later downtown and told police she had been at the Park and Ride along the 700 block of 5 Avenue South around 11 p.m. on Oct. 2 when she saw a red car she believed belonged to a friend.
When she leaned down to look inside, she instead found an unknown man in the car who then grabbed her arm and pulled her into the vehicle through the open passenger window.
She says she screamed as the vehicle drove away.
The woman said the vehicle travelled a distance, including near the Tudor Manor Apartments and by the main branch of the public library.
She says when it was nearing the Castle Apartments along the 200 block of 2 Avenue South, she was able to grab the keys, which caused the vehicle to hit the curb, and tossed the keys out the window.
A bystander nearby heard her screaming and approached the vehicle and let her out.
The driver fled the area.
Police say the woman said the suspect made references about having sex and touched her, but she was not injured.
The vehicle and a driver matching the description provided by both the victim and the bystander were later located by police, who performed a traffic stop and arrested a man without incident.
During a search of the vehicle following the arrest, police say they found some of the woman’s property inside.
The 36-year-old suspect has been charged with sexual assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement and assault. He was remanded into custody following a judicial interim release hearing and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday.
Police say their investigation is ongoing and are asking anyone who was in the downtown area between 11 p.m. on Oct. 2 and 1 a.m. on Oct. 3, particularly in the area of the Park and Ride and public library, and observed a 2003 red Pontiac Grand Am to contact police or CrimeStoppers and reference file 24019348.