An investigation by Steinbach RCMP into an attempted child luring incident reveals it wasn’t what it appeared to be.
Police reported on September 20, 2021, that three children, a male and female aged 10 and a 13-year-old female, were playing at Kimberly Bay Park in the community when they said a male in his 60s approached them. The male allegedly told the girls to get into his car.
The children then ran away from the park and said that the male had followed them and kept trying to get them into his vehicle. They told police that the male had exited his vehicle at one point.
Police said the incident lasted about eight minutes before the children were able to get to a safe place and call them.
RCMP initiated an investigation and patrolled the area searching for the suspect vehicle.
As the investigation unfolded officers determined that the incident did not occur as originally reported. Police say that a vehicle was seen driving past the children and the driver did provide a greeting to the children in passing. The vehicle is believed to have stopped and backed up which caused the children to become frightened and run to safety.
Although the incident was not a case of child luring and did not occur in the manner it was described to police, RCMP commended the children for being aware of their surroundings, getting to a safe location and calling police.
© News4.ca 2021
