A driver who pulled over on Lake Avenue to help someone involved in a crash early Saturday morning ended up the victim of an armed carjacking instead, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. The suspect pointed a gun at the Good Samaritan, took off with his vehicle, and headed east; police had not located the suspect or the car.
Police say the chain of events began around 4:50 a.m., when a man crashed his car in the eastbound lane of Lake Avenue. A passing motorist stopped to help the crash-involved driver, who then threatened him with a gun, took his vehicle, and fled eastbound, according to KRDO.
Officers searched the surrounding area in the hours after the carjacking, but as of the report, neither the suspect nor the stolen vehicle had turned up. The station's report does not include a description of the suspect or the vehicle taken.
A Pattern of Risk for Would-Be Helpers
Saturday's carjacking echoes a case out of Pueblo, where a man was allegedly attacked and carjacked after stopping to help someone he believed was a stranded motorist in the early morning hours of July 25, as reported by 719TurboMedia. In that case, the car was eventually returned to its owner, the outlet noted.
Colorado Springs has also seen a more violent attempted carjacking in recent weeks. On October 26, police said multiple suspects armed with handguns tried to steal a victim's vehicle in a business parking lot in the 3000 block of North Chestnut Street, per KRDO. An employee intervened and distracted the suspects long enough for the victim to get into his vehicle and escape, the outlet reported.
During that October incident, the victim told police he heard at least one shot fired behind him as he fled, and officers later recovered live rounds and spent shell casings at the scene. Two additional victims reported being threatened with a gun by one of the suspects before the attempted theft, according to the same KRDO report. No arrests had been made in that case at the time it was reported, and the investigation remained ongoing.
No arrests have been announced in Saturday's Lake Avenue carjacking either, and investigators have not released further details on a suspect description or the identity of the man whose crash set the encounter in motion.
