Hamilton police warning public after armed man in dark vehicle threatens two women
Hamilton police are warning the public to be cautious after two women were threatened with weapons by a man who picked them up in a black SUV or Jeep within hours of each other.
In both instances, the women got into the vehicles willingly but were later threatened, police said. The women escaped without physical injury.
There are enough similarities between the incidents that police believe it is the same individual, said police spokesperson Jackie Penman.
The first incident happened a little after midnight Thursday, Oct. 21 when police were called for a suspicious person in the area of Lawrence and Mount Albion roads.
On scene police learned a woman had been picked up by a man in a dark-coloured Jeep. She was afraid when she saw him holding a knife, but he ordered her out of the vehicle when he approached police RIDE lane in the area.
A couple of hours later, around 2 a.m., police were called for a woman in distress near Dunsmure Road, police said.
Police learned she had been picked up by an unknown man near Barton and Emerald streets. She was in the vehicle with him for some time before they parked in an area near Adeline Avenue and Dunsmure Road.
The man became aggressive, pulled out a steel pipe and threatened to beat her, police said.
The victim managed to escape and fled on foot through a parking lot yelling for help. She knocked on someone's door and that resident called 911, Penman said.
Since the incidents, police have reached out to various local groups who work with vulnerable communities to warn them about the danger, she said.
The suspect is believed to be driving a black SUV or Jeep.
He is described as a white man with blue eyes, six-foot, with hair that is longer on the top and buzzed short on the sides, 190 pounds and with tattoos on both arms and hands.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 905-546-2930.
To remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.
Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com