6 charged after fake buyers took SUVs on test drives

Six Calgarians have been charged after two vehicles were stolen during separate test drives, according to Calgary police.

Police said Friday they have recovered a Honda CR-V and a Toyota 4Runner they allege were stolen during private test drives over the past month.

On June 12 at 9:30 p.m., a man who was trying to sell his Toyota 4Runner through an online classified ad met a woman he thought was a potential buyer at a residence in Copperfield in southeast Calgary.

Throughout the test drive outside of the city on Township Road 240, the seller noticed a Honda CR-V following his vehicle.

Police say the woman posing as a buyer pulled over near Rainbow Road and demanded the owner exit the SUV.

The owner got out of his SUV, seeing the Honda CR-V still behind the vehicle and fearing for his safety.

The woman in the 4Runner and the CR-V fled the scene, leaving the victim on the side of the road.

Police later located both vehicles near an apartment building on the 200 block of 15 Avenue S.E.

Officers approached the CR-V and arrested two men and a woman.

They then entered an apartment and arrested a woman alleged to have been driving the 4Runner and two men, without incident.

Police later learned the CR-V was stolen during another test drive in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood of Edgemont on May 21.

During that incident, people in another vehicle rear-ended the CR-V during a test drive.

When the victim got out to inspect the damage, the drivers of both vehicles sped away.

In addition to two stolen vehicles, police also seized various rounds of ammunition, stolen identity documents, 40 grams of methamphetamine and two grams of fentanyl in their investigation.

Darby Jackson Benedict, 22, of Calgary, has been charged with:

• One count of robbery.
• One count of possession of property over $5,000.
• One count of possession of break-in instruments.
• One count of driving while disqualified.
• One count of driving without insurance.
• Five counts of breaching a recognizance.

Al-Karim Punjari Giga, 38, of Calgary, has been charged with:

• One count of possession of stolen property over $5,000.
• One count of driving while disqualified.
• One count of driving without insurance.
• Three counts of possession of stolen property under $5,000.

Kyle David Stremick, 34, of Calgary, has been charged with:

• One count of robbery.
• One count of possession of stolen property over $5,000.
• One count of possession of break-in instruments.
• Two counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Jesse Strongeagle, 24, of Calgary, has been charged with:

• One count of robbery.
• One count of possession of stolen property over $5,000.
• One count of possession of stolen property under $5,000.
• One count of possession of break-in instruments.
• One count of driving without insurance.
• One count of possession of a controlled substance.

MacKenzie Claire Andersen, 19, of Calgary has been charged with:

• One count of robbery.
• One count of stolen property over $5,000.
• One count of possession of break-in instruments.
• One count of breaching a probation order.
• Three counts of breaching a recognizance.

Kamran Sattar, 42, of Calgary has been charged with:

• One count of possession of identity documents.
• One count of breaching a recognizance.

Staff Sgt. Graeme Smiley called the incidents "more organized and advanced" than carjacking.

Organized strategies were used — including staging a minor collision and test drives — in order to steal the vehicles, rather than traditional violence, Smiley said.

He indicated the crimes are part of a bigger trend. 

"One thing that we're seeing is people renting vehicles and then not returning those vehicles, and while it's outstanding with the rental car company, the criminal is trying to sell it as theirs," Smiley told reporters Friday. 

He said police often work with car lots, dealerships and second-hand car sites due to the rate of vehicle thefts in the city. 

Police recommend safety precautions for private sales

"With technology, second-hand sales are very common and we don't want to discourage those, we're just trying to encourage due diligence," Smiley said. 

Sellers should ensure they're focused on safety as much as a sale, he said. As for buyers, they should question deals that are "too good to be true," Smiley added.

Police recommend you bring a friend to meet someone in a busy public place, in view of CCTV cameras, when buying and selling items to strangers.

Police say those selling vehicles should also:

• Make arrangements for a test drive route ahead of time.
• Ask to see buyer identification prior to handing over the keys.
• Make a note of the vehicle a buyer arrives in and the people they arrive with.