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A man is in hospital with serious injuries after being robbed and attacked with a machete in central Alberta, according to police.

It happened at around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday just south of Red Deer, where RCMP said a man from the small community of Springbrook, Alta., was robbed and attacked by several people armed with a firearm and machete-style knife.

READ MORE: Large sword, rifle seized from stolen SUV after chase through Red Deer

Police said a struggle ensued between the man and his attackers, causing them to lose their gun. The attackers then hit the man with the machete-style knife, causing serious bodily harm, Mounties said.

Police said the victim’s SUV was stolen after he was attacked. The man was able to walk away from the scene and into Springbrook, where a vehicle stopped to help him and call 911.

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The victim told RCMP he had driven to a rural location south of the Springbrook airport with a woman he met though an online dating site

“While parked in the area, the victim was approached by three additional suspects and attacked,” police said in a news release. “The incident appeared to be a planned robbery.”

He was driven by ambulance to the Red Deer Regional Hospital for treatment. Police said his wounds are considered serious, but not life-threatening.

READ MORE: RCMP seek suspects after woman carjacked by machete-wielding suspects in Red Deer

Police are now looking for four suspects in connection with the robbery: the woman the victim drove to the rural location with as well as two men and a woman with a medium build.

Police are looking for the victim’s stolen vehicle, described as a 2007 Black Dodge Nitro with Alberta licence plate BDR0343. The vehicle is similar to the one pictured below.

A 2007 Black Dodge Nitro.

Anyone who sees the vehicle is asked to call police immediately, either by calling the Blackfalds RCMP Detachment at (403) 885-3300 or your local police. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via Crime Stoppers.

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Springbrook is about 10 kilometres south of Red Deer.

Wednesday’s attack comes after a similar attack in Red Deer two weeks ago. Police said a man was surprised by another man, who broke into his garage in the Anders neighbourhood.

The suspect was carrying a short-barrel small-calibre firearm and a machete, and police said the victim suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his back and a number of cuts from a machete.

Earlier this month, a woman was also carjacked by two machete-wielding suspects in Red Deer. She was not hurt.

READ MORE: Red Deer RCMP search for suspect after man shot, attacked with machete