Comox Valley RCMP are investigating after a nine-year-old child reported being grabbed by a stranger Tuesday morning while he was walking to school in Courtenay.
The boy said he was on the sidewalk of Willemar Avenue between 17th and 20th streets at 8:15 a.m. when an unknown man grabbed onto his backpack.
The child pulled away and continued to school, where he told the principal what happened. The police were notified and said they responded immediately, but could not find the man.
“Investigators are considering all of the possible motives which could be behind a stranger grabbing onto the backpack of a child, including an attempted abduction and/or theft,” said Const. Monika Terragni, spokeswoman for Comox Valley RCMP.
The suspect is described as middle-aged with short grey/dark brown hair and a deep voice, Caucasian, not clean-shaven and wearing a black tuque and dark green puffy coat.
The Comox Valley RCMP major crime unit is investigating and looking for witnesses.
“This area of Courtenay has quite a bit of traffic in the morning when it’s time to get our children to school. It is very likely that someone in the area saw the suspect, or even what happened,” Terragni said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 and refer to file 2019-357. You can report anonymously through Comox Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at comoxvalleycrimestoppers.bc.ca
