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Red Deer man charged after carjacking

CARSTAIRS — A man who picked up a hitchhiker ended up the victim of a violent carjacking in central Alberta.

CARSTAIRS — A man who picked up a hitchhiker ended up the victim of a violent carjacking in central Alberta.

RCMP say the ordeal began Thursday afternoon when they received several reports of a dangerously impaired driver in a yellow 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with B.C. licence plates.

It turns out the driver, who RCMP say had been released from jail 12 days earlier, had run out of gas and abandoned his car.

A short time later, a man who was travelling alone picked up the hitchhiker near Carstairs.

The drunken and agitated hitchhiker started demanding the man drive him to Calgary, then pulled a jackknife, robbed the man of his wallet, forced him out of the car and took off, leaving him at the side of the road.

The man called 911 and Airdrie RCMP nabbed the carjacker mere moments later at an impaired driving checkstop they happened to have set up.

William Clayton Bradshaw, 26, of Red Deer, has been charged with armed robbery, impaired driving and assaulting a police officer, among other charges.

“Luckily, the good Samaritan was not injured during this ordeal,” said Cpl. Darrin Turnbull. “Following the demands of the hitchhiker likely prevented him from being assaulted by this dangerous and intoxicated male.”

Turnbull added it’s important motorists understand the possible dangers of picking up hitchhikers, saying that if someone spots a stranded motorist requiring assistance, it is best to call police for help.