CVUSD warns parents after another possible abduction attempt
The Coachella Valley Unified School District sent out another alert to parents Monday night after a stranger stopped a young student after school to ask if she wanted a ride.
According to a release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, the girl was walking home from Toro Canyon Middle School on Avenue 66 around 6 p.m. when she was approached by a Hispanic man in a white Toyota Camry. The student refused to accept the ride and ran toward Martinez Road where she was approached by the same man, who again offered her a ride.
Deputies said the girl continued to run away and the man eventually drove off. The sheriff’s department searched the area but weren’t able to find the man’s car.
The student described the suspect as being 30-40 years old. She told deputies the man was wearing a white tank top and had a tattoo on his right shoulder.
One of the girl’s friends witnessed the incident while she was waiting to be picked up by her mother.
The district is asking students to walk in groups and parents to remind their kids to not talk to strangers in vehicles, and if approached by a stranger, run to safety and report the incident to police, their parents and the school.
If you have any information about this incident, call law enforcement at (760) 863-8990.
This possible child abduction attempt came just one week after similar reports were made involving students at John Kelly Elementary School in Thermal. In that instance, a Hispanic man in a gray van was seen trying to entice a student into his vehicle after school.
According to Security and Transportation Director Glenn Perry, “A student was walking home with his parents and he was a little bit ahead of his parents. There was a gray van with a Spanish-speaking individual in it who stopped and tried to get the student in the van. The student ran away, the parents contacted police and reported it.”
News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will continue to follow these cases and bring you more information as it becomes available.
