The Watson Lake RCMP is reporting an alleged carjacking gone wrong that was followed by an assault on a good Samaritan who thought they were pulling over to help the occupants of a wrecked car.
A March 22 statement from the RCMP states that officers from the Watson Lake Detachment were called out to a single vehicle accident on a remote stretch of the Alaska Highway at about 9 p.m. on March 16. The statement says the call came from kilometre 1046 of the Highway which sits between Rancheria and Watson Lake.
According to police, the driver of a semi-truck and trailer pulled over to stop and help the three occupants of a vehicle that had rolled over onto its roof on the highway. After the big rig driver helped them out of the vehicle, they allegedly stole his truck but only made it about 150 metres down the highway before getting it stuck.
The police report states that the three occupants of the crashed vehicle returned on foot and began assaulting the trucker. RCMP officers reached the scene and arrested them after a brief attempt to evade capture.
The truck driver sustained minor injuries and was treated at Watson Lake Hospital.
The vehicle that rolled on the highway was a white 2021 Toyota Rav4 that was reported stolen from Dawson City earlier the day of the incident at Kilometre 1046.
Police say all three people they arrested were wanted on outstanding warrants. They arrested 26-year-old Kody Smith as well as Michael Bennett and Kiara Hagen, both 20. All three are listed as Whitehorse residents. All three now face robbery and possession of property obtained by crime charges. They remain in custody pending future court dates and police say the investigation is ongoing.
The RCMP are asking motorists who may have seen the vehicle, a white 2021 Rav4, on the Alaska Highway between Whitehorse and Kilometer 1046 on March 16, 2022, are asked to call Watson Lake RCMP Detachment at (867) 536-5555.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com