Toronto police officers say they are investigating the attempted abduction of an eight-year-old girl outside of an Etobicoke school Friday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to St. John Vianney Catholic School on Thistle Down Boulevard, near Islington Avenue and Albion Road, just before 12:30 p.m. for a report a man allegedly tried to abduct a young girl.
Insp. Michael Williams told reporters children were playing in the south end of the school when a man approached a girl and tried to pick her up and put her over his shoulder.
He said when other children saw what was happening, the man became scared, dropped the girl and took off toward the Humber River.
Williams said the child was uninjured.
Police described the suspect as being in his 20s with a heavy build. He was last seen wearing a black balaclava, a black baseball hat, a black sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes.
It is unclear if the girl was targeted or if it was a random abduction attempt, Williams added.
Investigators asked anyone with surveillance video or information in regard to the incident to contact police.