Update:
The hitchhiker attacked last Friday south of Williams Lake was in his late 50s, and travelling with a small brown lap dog, said Cpl. Brian Lamb of the 100 Mile House RCMP Tuesday.
“He was travelling from Quesnel. He had a duffle bag that he put in the back of the truck when they stopped that had some personal belongings in it,” Lamb told the Tribune.
A large hockey bag he had with him wasn’t taken.
“There was no conversation between the people in the truck and the victim,” Lamb added.
In the stolen bag were some worldly goods and identification that hasn’t been recovered.
Original story:
The RCMP are looking for information after a hitchhiker was attacked near Williams Lake Thursday.
Between 4 and 5 p.m. a male was hitchhiking on Highway 97, 20 kilometres south of the city, when a vehicle described as a late 1980s, two tone green and blue Ford pickup stopped, said Cpl. Brian Lamb of the 100 Mile House RCMP.
When the male approached the vehicle to get inside, a suspect male, described as Caucasian, 22 to 35 years old, with blonde hair, exited the passenger side.
He approached the victim, punched him in the face causing dental damage, and knocked him to the pavement, which caused further injury.
Police said the suspect then returned to the vehicle and the vehicle fled the scene.
The next day while travelling through 100 Mile House, the victim reported the incident to the RCMP.
He was taken to the hospital by BC Ambulance and later released.
Police said the victim had placed his belongings in the vehicle before the attack, so they are missing, and that the attack was unprovoked and for no reason.
Anyone with information about the incident, or who owns the vehicle, is asked to call the 100 Mile House RCMP at 250-394-2456.
Kamloops and District Crimestoppers offers a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and charges being laid against any unsolved crime, the press release noted.
