Mounties are investigating after a stranger tried luring a young girl into his car with the promise of an iPad this week in Coquitlam.
The 12-year-old girl was walking home from school Tuesday afternoon around Hickey Street and Austin Avenue when a man in a white car pulled up beside her.
“The man slowed down his vehicle, he rolled down the passenger side window, and he offered to give her an iPod or an iPad if she would get in,” Cpl. Jamie Chung said.
The young girl refused and hurried toward her home. Alarmingly, the suspect drove alongside her until he got stuck at a red light, according to the RCMP.
When the girl got home she immediately told her mom, who notified police.
Chung praised the child for making all the right decisions during a frightening situation, and said other families should teach their kids to follow her example.
“She stayed away from his car and she kept walking as quickly as she could,” he said. “Thanks to her quick thinking, she’s safe and we were able to get involved immediately.”
Mounties said it appears to have been an isolated incident, but if anyone has experienced a similar encounter they’re urged to contact the RCMP. Authorities also released a composite sketch of the suspect's face on Thursday in hopes someone will recognize him.
He's described as white, between 35-40 years old, balding with blond-brown hair on the sides and stubble. He was wearing a T-shirt.
His vehicle is a white four-door sedan with a grey interior, possibly leather. It had some dirt on the exterior and clutter inside.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP detachment at 604-945-1550.
