Police are investigating after a 12-year-old boy was approached by a man at a bus stop in Saanich.
Investigators say just after 8:30 p.m. on June 8, the boy was approached by the man, believed to be in his 60s, at a bus stop in the 200-block of Burnside Road West in front of Tillicum Elementary School.
The boy was at the bus stop alone, and had been there for a few minutes, when the suspect approached the bus stop and asked him if he was travelling downtown, to which he replied that he wasn’t.
According to the boy, the suspect made some nonsensical conversation with him, but essentially wanted him to go downtown with him.
The interaction was making the boy feel uncomfortable, so he turned to walk away.
At this point the suspect grabbed the boy by the shoulder pulling him slightly and said words to the effect of “You’re coming downtown with me.”
The boy then ran towards an open business and called his mom, who in turn called police.
The suspect is described as a Caucasian man, in his sixties, having a possible partial beard with white facial hair and a slender build.
The suspect was wearing a blue baseball cap, a blue pinstriped collared shirt with white accents and was carrying a black umbrella with orange polka dots.
A/Sgt. Jereme W Leslie with Saanich Police told Global News they are actively looking for the suspect and are asking if anyone may have seen anything last night to call them.
“The boy gave a very good description of the suspect and we’re hoping someone from the area may know who this person is and come forward with that information,” Leslie said. “The boy did everything right and should be commended for his actions. He recognized an uncomfortable situation, removed himself from it and sought help.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Saanich Police at 250-475-4321 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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