C3 Corvette Owner Recalls Harrowing Kidnapping, High Speed Chase, and Becoming a Hostage

Working at a convenience store, this C3 Corvette owner didn’t expect to experience a life-altering experience at the age of 24.

Many of us wake up each day and turn on the news, only to hear depressing and sometimes, downright terrible stories about people that were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thankfully, these types of incidents are still quite rare, and many of us have never been the victims of serious crimes. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for C3 Corvette owner and Calgary, Alberta, Canada resident Dave Cheke, who recently retold the story of his own kidnapping over at CBC News – and it’s a truly life-altering experience, as he explained.

Cheke was a mere 24 years old when he was working as an assistant manager at a Safeway store in Saskatoon when – in 1982 – two well-dressed men knocked on the door and rather politely informed him that they were there to rob the establishment. However, after cooperating and giving them money from the store, the robbers quickly began adding more charges to their future rap sheets. “I remember thinking, ‘just do what they say so no one gets hurt,’” Cheke said. “But after the gunmen got the cash, one of them asked for keys to a vehicle. I gave them the keys to my Corvette and was then forced into the front seat – perched on the center console – and we took off down the main road.”

With the three men crammed into the C3 Corvette, it wasn’t long before police were hot on their trail. But instead of giving up, the men began firing at police, like something out of a movie. Eventually, the man driving the Corvette lost control and crashed into a curb, but that wasn’t enough to deter them. In fact, with guns pointed in their direction, the men proceeded to steal a police car and continued the getaway attempt, at least until they crashed into a restaurant, which they promptly entered.

After taking another hostage, the situation certainly seemed grim, but thanks to a calm detective, the situation ended peacefully, albeit several hours later. Cheke managed to keep his cool throughout the entire process, but he admits that it changed him forever. However, reflecting on that day also makes him realize that in a way, it also helped him deal with stressful situations in the ensuing years – because really, how much more stressful could a singular life event truly be?

Photos: Dave Cheke

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