A Vancouver elementary school sent out a “stranger danger” message to parents Tuesday after a man tried to abduct a girl walking to school with her father.
The message said the girl and her father were walking to Walnut Grove Elementary School about 8:30 a.m. when the attempted abduction happened.
“The father was walking in front of the student, turned and saw the suspect reaching for his daughter,” the Walnut Grove message said.
Once noticed, the man turned, walked in the opposite direction, entered a white van and drove away.
The parent contacted Vancouver police and filed a report.
Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email that the man did not commit a crime as he had his arms outstretched toward the girl but did not touch her. Kapp did not say whether police were actively investigating the incident.
But the elementary school described the man and his van in its message. It said the man was white and clean shaven and appeared to be in his mid-20s to early 30s. He is between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs around 180 to 200 pounds.
At the time of the attempted abduction, the man was wearing a black beanie, a black hooded sweatshirt with “Portland” in white lettering and dark cargo pants.
The suspect’s white van could possibly be a 2012 to 2015 Dodge with heightened dimensions, like a work van. There were no other distinguishing markings on the vehicle, the message says.
