A 72-year-old Good Samaritan is recovering on Vancouver Island after being assaulted by the man he had stopped to help.
RCMP say the victim was attacked, threatened and had his vehicle stolen late Tuesday afternoon when he pulled over to help a driver parked in Union Bay, south of Courtenay, with his hazard lights flashing.
Nanaimo RCMP spotted the stolen car, abandoned, a short time later, but an officer who tried to speak to a nearby hitchhiker was also attacked, although not seriously injured.
Police say 46-year-old Union Bay resident Kenneth Slezak will appear in a Courtenay courtroom today to face assault charges, and he could face additional charges of robbery, theft of a motor vehicle and uttering threats.
