An ordinary commute downtown quickly turned to panic for a mother and her young daughter after an intruder inexplicably opened their van passenger door and sat down while stopped at a traffic light Friday night.
Samantha Stuart, a Yellowknife resident for 13 years, said she was waiting for the light to change at Franklin Avenue and 52nd Street when she noticed a man crossing the intersection.
After waving the car in front of Stuart's Dodge Caravan through on Franklin Avenue, he stood in front of her with his hands on the hood of her vehicle glaring through the windshield. She described the man as in his 60's and wearing a black hat and dark, thick jacket.
The intersection of Franklin Avenue at 52nd Street was the scene where a man invaded a grey dodge caravan and scared a mother and daughter on their night-time commute.
(January 9, 2017)
“I was coming up to the dental clinic and I thought he was crossing,” recalled Stuart. “He waved the car in front of me through and as I rolled down my window he put his hands on the hood of my car.”
Stuart's initial curiosity quickly turned to fear when, without warning, the man climbed into the passenger side of her van.
Her five-year-old daughter Emma and her daughter's young friend were seated in the back.
Stuart put the vehicle in park and laid on the horn but the man did not budge.
“My initial reaction was shock, I felt completely invaded,” said Stuart.“At first I told him to get the (expletive) out.”
However, the man did not listen to her command. He remained in the van for two to three minutes while mumbling “drunken slurs.” With her daughter and her friend crying in the back seat, Stuart got out of the vehicle in an attempt to get help.
“I tried to wave down a vehicle to help me and everyone just drove around me,” said Stuart. “The light was green but still no one stopped to help me.”
While she was trying to flag down help the man decided to leave the vehicle on his own and then stumbled over to the sidewalk.
“My daughter said, 'I thought I was going to die,'” said Stuart on Sunday. “I told them it was wrong of the man to do that.”
Stuart notes the incident could have been prevented and will not make the same mistake twice.
“Because I hadn't gone over 30 km/hr my locks in the car did not kick-in,” said Stuart. “I am just grateful nothing bad happened.”
Stuart said she will not report the incident to RCMP but is encouraging all Yellowknifers to lock their doors to prevent any similar encounters.