'Set up and duped' man beaten, robbed

GREENVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - A Greenville man who thought he was helping someone with car problems wound up getting beaten and robbed Friday night.

Shane Wilcox, 37, was driving home from work on Greenville West Drive when he saw a woman trying to flag people down next to a car.

"She's like, 'Thank you for stopping. My car broke down. It won't start,'" he described to 24 Hour News 8 Saturday.

Wilcox pulled off to the side and began to try to help the woman when a truck with two men pulled up. Wilcox thought the people in the truck were stopping to help, too.

However, Wilcox got hit in the head with an object, was punched and kicked. He says one of the men tried to stab him with a knife. The suspect with the knife jabbed it through Wilcox's coat and put a little slash on Wilcox's arm.

One of the suspects took Wilcox's wallet and the cash inside. During the attack, the woman who flagged Wilcox down got in her car and sped off.

"All of a sudden (the car was) magically working," Wilcox said. "She drove off like nothing happened."

The suspects left the scene after getting Wilcox's wallet. Wilcox got back into his vehicle and drove himself home. His wife called police as soon as he got inside the house.

"Now looking back, I was probably set up and duped to stop and help somebody so I could get robbed," Wilcox told 24 Hour News 8.

Wilcox describes the woman as someone between 18 to 25 years old, with pale, white skin and black hair with a purple streak through it, and a piercing in her lower lip. Wilcox describes the two men as white males in their mid-20s. He says they were wearing coats and backward baseball caps.

Greenville Department of Public Safety is investigating the incident and is checking with other law enforcement agencies to see if there are any similar incidences occurring in the area.

The lead detective told 24 Hour News 8 he believes the victim is credible.

If anyone has information about this case, they are asked to call the Greenville Department of Public Safety or Silent Observer at 866.774.2345.