UPDATED: Warman, Sask., RCMP say there was an attempted abduction of a 12-year-old girl near the Brian King Centre on Wednesday and police are looking for a pickup truck that was involved.
Warman Detachment Commander, Staff Sgt. Jason Teniuk, recounted what happened.
“We got a call from a parent of a 12-year-old child that indicated the child was approached by a male who asked her to get into the vehicle,” Teniuk said. “The child refused because the child did not recognize the person and realized that there was probably something going on here that wasn’t quite right. The child said no and walked away.
“The suspect basically turned around and started following the child. The child went down a back alley that had not been plowed and that was the end of it. The suspect couldn’t drive their vehicle down that back alley.”
The incident happened around 3 p.m., and police say the girl was able to get to a safe place and was not injured.
“I’m sure she’s shaken up, but I guess it’s the best-case scenario, you know? She did the right thing,” Teniuk said.
“She didn’t recognize who it was, there was no communication that somebody else was supposed to pick her up and she did the right thing by not getting in with somebody she didn’t know.”
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Teniuk also added that since the victim did not know who the suspect was, the two are not believed to be related or known to one another.
“There could be other things that could come out through the course of the investigation but at this point we believe it’s random.”
Officers describe the vehicle as a black, two-doored truck believed to be an early 2000s Chevrolet or GMC model and mention it is not a common vehicle.
They add the man was described as being between the ages of 20 and 30. He was said to be wearing a black T-shirt at the time of the incident.
“Anybody that was in the area of the Brian King Centre in Warman that may have any kind of video around that time period, we’re interested in getting ahold of that,” said Teniuk.
Teniuk said he believes an event like this makes the community uneasy, giving the police a big role to play in the community of 13,000 during this time.
Prairie Spirit School Division sent an email to parents on Wednesday evening after the attempt.
The division also sent a statement to Global News.
“The safety of our students is our highest priority. The Division is working closely with the RCMP and communicating with families in Warman,” said Brenda Erickson, communications manager with Prairie Spirit School Division.
“Prairie Spirit’s bus drivers in Warman and Martensville have been asked to monitor activity on their routes and the RCMP have planned an increased presence in the community. We appreciate the guidance and support of the RCMP in this situation.”
RCMP are requesting parents to advise youth to exercise caution if approached by strangers in a vehicle.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Warman RCMP at 306-975-1670.
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