Suspect linked to 2 attempted child abductions in Prince George, B.C.
35-year-old man arrested after allegedly assaulting woman who intervened
A B.C. man is expected to face multiple charges after two attempted abductions of children in Prince George on Tuesday morning.
The two attempts took place within minutes of each other, according to an RCMP news release.
The suspect, a 35-year-old man from Fort St. James, was arrested after witnesses called police at 10:30 a.m. to report that a man was assaulting a woman in a playground near 12th Avenue and Harper Street.
The woman told the officers that she had intervened when she saw the man trying to abduct a child from the playground. The suspect ran into a nearby baseball field, where he was arrested.
A second report came in shortly after the arrest. Police say this abduction attempt happened just a few blocks away, at Eighth Avenue and Gillette Street, just a few minutes before the first attack.
In that case, a man allegedly grabbed a young boy who was with his mother, but the woman was able to wrestle the child away and run back home with him.
The description of the suspect in that incident matched that of the man in custody, RCMP say.
The suspect remains in police custody, and Mounties say they expect several criminal charges to be filed.
Investigators are asking anyone with surveillance video of the area around the attacks to call Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.