Coquitlam RCMP say they have arrested a North Vancouver music teacher after a series of allegations of sexual misconduct involving underage girls in their city.

Police said Lamar Victor Alviar, 22, has been teaching music out of a business called LA Music Studio, and they believe he may have had inappropriate contact with young people around Metro Vancouver.

Media relations officer Cpl. Michael McLaughlin told reporters Thursday that police have spoken to three confirmed victims in the case, all of them girls between the ages of 12 and 14.

The allegations against Alviar involve both students and non-students, McLaughlin said, adding that police believe there is a "strong likelihood" that there are additional victims and witnesses they haven't spoken to yet.

Alviar has been released from police custody with conditions, including a prohibition on being alone with "anyone who reasonably appears to be under the age of 16." He is also prohibited from having any contact or communication with any person meeting that description, including contact via social media.

McLaughlin said Alviar has not yet been charged. He said releasing a suspect's name and image to the public before charges are laid is "very rare" in a case like this, but doing so was important to the investigation.

"This is really unusual to put out something like this," McLaughlin said. "It's something we don't take lightly, at all. We have to really do it almost with heavy hearts, frankly."

The hope is that this public warning about Alviar will lead to more victims coming forward, he said.

"There is a strong possibility there are other victims or witnesses out there who haven't spoken to police," McLaughlin said. "It's imperative and urgent that they speak to us as quickly as possible."

Police describe Alviar as having dark brown hair, hazel eyes and an eyebrow piercing. He is 5'8" tall and weighs roughly 150 pounds, police said.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of Alviar -- or knows someone who has -- is asked to call Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and ask for the Sex Crimes Unit. The file number is 2019-24019.

McLaughlin stressed that potential victims are not limited music students, adding that police expect additional cases to have occurred "well outside of a teaching environment."

"It is also important to remember that these allegations may not have just happened in Coquitlam or North Vancouver," he said. "It is entirely possible that they are in other communities throughout Metro Vancouver."

Police have been investigating Alviar for roughly two weeks, McLaughlin said, but the investigation intensified in the last few days, culminating in his arrest on Wednesday evening.

The investigation began in Coquitlam because that's where the allegations were first made. McLaughlin said Coquitlam RCMP have been working with police in North Vancouver and other jurisdictions on the case.