Update:
The man who approached an 11-year-old boy walking home school in Esquimalt yesterday and repeatedly asked the child to get inside his vehicle has been identified.
The person was a family friend who the child did not recognize and police have now deemed the incident not suspicious.
“Officers would also like to commend the 11-year-old boy who did the right thing in a challenging situation. When the boy was approached and felt uncomfortable he immediately went to a safe location and alerted adults,” VicPD said in a media release.
— original:
VicPD are asking the public for help tracking down information after a man approached a boy walking home from school in Esquimalt on Tuesday.
Officers were told that a man had approached an 11-year-old boy as he was walking near Head Street and Esquimalt Road at approximately 2:45 p.m. on October 13.
The man was driving a vehicle and pulled up beside the boy, telling him to get inside for a ride home. The man was unknown to the boy.
When the boy turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, the man in the vehicle made a u-turn, followed the boy, and told him to get in the vehicle again.
The boy made it safely back to the school and reported the incident to his family. He was not physically injured.
Police say the man is described as white, approximately 50-years-old, with a bald head and a full grey beard.
He was driving a white-four door vehicle, which was described as being relatively new and very clean. There may have been a small dog in the back seat of the vehicle.
Anyone who witnessed this incident or who may have CCTV footage in the area of Head Street and Esquimalt Road is asked to contact VicPD at (250) 995-7653, extension 1.
Those who wish to report information anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
VicPD are still investigating the incident.
