Police in LaSalle are investigating after a young girl was approached by a suspicious man who appeared to be impersonating a police officer.
The LaSalle Police Service said on Friday between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., the girl was riding her bicycle on Malden Road when she was approached by a dark coloured sedan. The girl heard a siren briefly activate and the man in the vehicle gestured for her to pull into the parking lot at Malden Square Plaza.
The man who was driving exited the vehicle and asked the girl some questions. The conversation was brief and the man did not ask her any personal details before telling her she could go.
At no time did the man identify himself as a police officer.
"The LaSalle Police Service has confirmed that none of [its] officers or vehicles were in the plaza at the time nor had any interaction with the reporting female and the matter is currently under investigation," police said in a news release. "The LaSalle Police Service is inquiring with neighbouring police agencies of their possible presence at this time."
The man is described as white, muscular, around 6'0" tall, with dark brown hair and a deep raspy voice. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a police ballistic vest with the words "LaSalle Police" on the front and dark cargo pants and a collared shirt with the word "Police" on the sleeves. He was also wearing a pair of mirrored sunglasses, a black ball cap with no markings and a surgical-type mask.
The man's vehicle is described as a newer sedan that was dark in colour. The vehicle also had a push bar on the front bumper and may have had lights inside the front windshield, however, they were not activated. The vehicle did not have any police markings.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact police at 519 969-5210 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519 258-8477.
