West Vancouver police are warning parents to review personal safety with their kids after receiving a report that a 13-year-old girl was flashed by a man from his car as she walked home Tuesday afternoon.
The girl told police she was walking near 24th Street and Ottawa Avenue around 4 p.m. when a man in a grey SUV stopped and asked for directions.
The girl approached the vehicle, then saw the man was exposing himself in the driver’s seat.
The man tried to speak with her, but the teen told him to go away and the man drove off.
The teen got home safely, where she contacted her family and police were called.
The suspect is described as between 40 and 50 years old, with a chubby build and black short hair, said police. He was wearing a plaid yellow and red shirt and dark jeans.
Extensive patrols of the area were conducted but neither the suspect nor vehicle were found, said Const. Jeff Palmer, spokesman for the West Vancouver police. No other reports of similar suspicious behaviour have been received.
Police are now working to see if any home surveillance video in the area may have captured images of the vehicle.
Palmer urged parents to review steps to staying safe with kids and teens, including being cautious about approaching cars driven by strangers, and to report any suspicious people or vehicles.
Palmer said the incident was “definitely upsetting and disconcerting,” to the girl, but added, “She reacted in the best way possible.”
Anyone with information is asked to call West Vancouver police at 604-925-7300.
