Between 11 p.m. and 11:15 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, three vehicles pulled over after a car pulled up behind them with a flashing strobe light. Once stopped, men from the car demanded money from the victims. In the last incident, the victim was pulled from his vehicle, assaulted and robbed.

The first incident occurred in the community of Beddington, the second in Harvest Hills and the third in North Haven.

Police tracked the car to a residence in the Beddington Heights area and took three people believed to be connected to these incidents into custody. A vehicle was also found at the residence that matched the description of the one involved in the incidents and officers confirmed that it did contain lights that could be used to pull people over.

The investigation into the three incidents is still ongoing.

The law requires that members of the public pull over when approached by a police vehicle flashing its lights behind them, however, police would like to remind the public of a few things drivers should know to ensure their safety:

  • The majority of Calgary Police Service traffic stops are conducted in marked vehicles or in unmarked vehicles driven by police officers dressed in full uniform.
  • Marked CPS vehicles are always equipped with red and blue lights on top, which are always activated during traffic stops.
  • An undercover officer wearing plain clothes may conduct a traffic stop in an unmarked vehicle, using a red/blue -coloured strobe light. The lights in these vehicles can be located inside the grill or in the vehicle’s interior.
  • If a driver is not sure about a vehicle that is pulling them over, they should call 911.
  • Police officers are required to carry identification at all times and drivers have the right to ask them to see that identification.
  • A driver should never exit his/her vehicle during a traffic stop, unless they are asked to do so by a police officer.
  • When conducting traffic stops members of the Calgary Police Service usually approach the vehicle they have pulled over in a reasonably prompt fashion. They always identify themselves as members of the Service.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously using any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: tttTIPS.com
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637