Police say charges have been laid against a man in the attempted abduction of a seven-year-old girl from an elementary school in Chilliwack, B.C.
RCMP say they are seeking witnesses to the attempted abduction on the grounds of Chilliwack Central Elementary School on Wednesday morning, including anyone who saw someone wearing a “purple bunny-like mask.”
Police say they were called to the school just after 9 a.m. after a man allegedly tried to remove the child from the school before a concerned person intervened and brought her back.
Get daily National news
Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.
RCMP say the child wasn’t injured, and the suspect, who was located nearby, was arrested and taken into custody.
The man has been charged with kidnapping a person under 16, and is due to appear in court on Friday.
Police say the man and the child aren’t known to each other, and it’s an isolated incident.
Supt. Darren Pankratz, the officer in charge of the Chilliwack RCMP, said police were taking the incident extremely seriously.
“The safety of children in our community is a key priority, and we recognize how concerning this type of event is for families,” he said.
“We are working closely with the school district as this investigation continues, and we thank the members of the public who assisted in ensuring the child’s safety and helping police quickly locate and arrest the suspect.”
Investigators want to talk to anyone who may have witnessed the incident between Central Elementary School and the 46000 block of Margaret Avenue between 8:30 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.