Berkeley Police Department is investigating a possible child abduction attempt that occurred Monday about 8 a.m. on the 2900 block of Harper Street.
The female victim, a 9-year-old student at Malcolm X Elementary School, was walking to school when a green minivan pulled into a driveway in front of her, according to a BPD crime alert. The student said the man sitting in the van’s passenger seat emerged from the vehicle and began to walk closely behind her. She then felt a push on her backpack, causing her to stumble, after which she ran to her school and made it safely inside, according to the alert.
That evening, the alert said, the victim reported the incident to her mother, and they notified the student’s elementary school Tuesday.
According to the alert, BPD is uncertain whether the potential abduction relates to several similar incidents that occurred in the fall. In September, a man driving a dark-green minivan approached two students near Willard Middle School and directed them to enter his van, according to police alerts at the time. Police also investigated two separate abduction attempt reports Oct. 19.
The crime alert describes the passenger of the van as a 5-foot-9 Hispanic male in his late 20s with a thin build and straight dark hair. It describes the driver as a black male in his 20s or older with shoulder-length dreadlocks.
BPD asks that anyone with information about the Monday incident call 510-981-5900.
Check back for updates.
