A Winnipeg Police Service shoulder badge is seen at the Public Information Office in Winnipeg, on September 2, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski)
A 28-year-old man is in custody after police say he entered a St. Vital elementary school, hid in a washroom, and grabbed a child on Thursday afternoon.
Winnipeg police responded at around 1:30 p.m. after Darwin School initiated a hold-and-secure. Investigators say the suspect hid in a washroom stall and grabbed a student exiting a nearby stall. The child was able to fight free and alert a teacher, and did not require medical treatment.
The suspect fled, but a witness followed him to St. Vital Centre. With help from mall security, officers arrested the man in the parking lot.
Police have charged Scott William George with assault, forcible confinement, and two counts of failing to comply with a prohibition regarding children. He remains in custody.
Const. Dani McKinnon says the accused is known to police and has a criminal history involving children.
McKinnon says parents and guardians should talk to their kids about safety and remind them to tell an adult if something feels off.
“The light at the end of the tunnel is nothing happened to this child physically in terms of harm, thank God,” McKinnon told reporters Friday. “At the end of the day, if something looks wrong, feels wrong, fight your way out of it. Talk to a safe adult.”
