Police have issued a warning to parents in the North Delta area after a young girl was followed then approached by a strange man in a minivan near Gray Elementary School Thursday afternoon (Nov. 19).
According to a DPD press release, the girl reported to her father that she had been followed while walking home from school by an unknown man driving a minivan on 82nd Avenue.
The girl reported that she had made eye contact with the driver, who smiled at her. The girl ignored the driver and was continuing her walk home when she noticed the van was following her at a slow pace.
According to the child, the driver then pulled up beside her and asked if she wanted a ride home.
“Fortunately, the girl made an excellent decision by saying, ‘No’ and then running away,” Cris Leykauf, public affairs manager for the Delta Police Department, said in a press release. “She then ran home, and her father called 911. That quick action allowed police to begin their investigation immediately.”
The driver of the minivan is described as a Caucasian man in his mid- to late-30s, with a bald head, a dark brown mustache and brown eyes.
Leykauf said police are canvassing the area and ask that anyone who might have dash cam or video footage in the area of 82nd Avenue from 112th Street to 114th Street on Nov. 19, between 3 and 3:30 p.m., contact them at 604-946-4411.
Police are encouraging parents to speak with their children who walk to and from school about the importance of being aware of their surroundings. If possible, children should try and walk with others, and carry a phone if they have one.
If anything suspicious occurs, they are asked to notify their parents, police or teachers as soon as possible.
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