Motorist who stopped to lend hand ends up losing truck

A Good Samaritan was peppersprayed and his truck was stolen after he stopped to help a driver on the side of the road in Lumby on Saturday evening.

North Okanagan RCMP received a report of a male who had allegedly been assaulted with bear spray after stopping to check on a vehicle in the ditch in the 4500 block of Highway 6 just before 6 p.m.

When police arrived on the scene, they found a 35-year-old man suffering from the effects of bear spray, said Const. Kelly Brett.

The man told police he had stopped to check on a lone male driver standing near a yellow cube van, as he suspected the man’s vehicle had broken down.

The suspect sprayed the victim with bear spray and fled in the victim’s silver Dodge pickup truck.

“It is unfortunate that a simple act of kindness (was) turned into a violent act for this particular victim who stopped to check on a fellow motorist,” said Brett. “Although this incident may not have been targeted, this is not a common occurrence here in the North Okanagan.”

The victim suffered minor injuries and was treated by BC Ambulance paramedics.

Witnesses reported another vehicle and suspects may have been involved in this incident.

The silver Dodge pickup truck was later found near Highway 6 and School Road in Lavington.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call RCMP at 250-547-9044 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous.