Lafayette police are taking a cautionary stance and bumping up patrols around area schools after an incident on Monday involving a Burton Valley Elementary School student.
Police said they are putting the word out about the incident to advise parents and to obtain additional information from witnesses and residents.
At approximately 3:05 p.m., the student was walking on the north sidewalk of Rohrer Drive, walking toward St. Mary’s Road. As the student neared the intersection of Castello Road, the student saw a vehicle approaching from behind. The student continued to walk as the vehicle slowed, matching his speed as he continued to walk. The student identified the vehicle was driven by a white female adult, who had rolled the passenger-side window down.
The youth told officers the driver of the vehicle yelled at him from the car, telling him to “get into the car.” The student ignored the woman and continued to walk towards St. Mary’s Road, the vehicle maintained its lane and not crossing through the bicycle lane towards the student.
When the student did not do as the driver had instructed, police said the driver yelled “get in the car or I am going to hit you.” The student continued to ignore the driver and walk toward Castello Road. When the student did not react, the driver threw a cigarette butt from the car at the student and then drove away, the student continuing his walk home and upon arrival, notifying an older sibling of the incident.
LPD Officers met with the student and obtained the following descriptions:
Vehicle: Dark green colored SUV, similar to a Ford Explorer, tinted windows.
Suspect: Female, White, 50’s, Brown hair in a pony tail.
Investigators are seeking assistance from the public in identifying the vehicle and the female subject. This may have just been a misunderstanding.
Residents who live along Rohrer Drive are asked to review their video systems for the suspect or her vehicle. The student walked from the Burton Valley Campus to Castello Road, arriving in that area at approximately 3:05 p.m. Anyone who may have seen a suspicious green SUV driving on Rohrer during the time of this incident is asked to notify LPD Officers at (925) 284-5010 or email the LPD tip line at 94549Tip@gmail.com.
Police said the incident provides an excellent reminder to parents to talk with their children about their walk to school. It’s always a good thing to have children walk in groups and be aware of their surroundings. If children do encounter some type of danger, they should be instructed to quickly return to the school campus, their home, or yell for “help” – which will certainly draw the attention of neighbors. Getting attention as quickly as possible is very important. In this case, the student did an excellent job and provided investigators with a description of both the driver and the vehicle.
He handled the situation very well. If it was a male driver and a female student, it would be anything but a “misunderstanding.” Granted, women are less threatening, but they still commit crimes. “Get in the car or I am going to hit you” is a threat. The buddy system on the way to school is definitely safer…
In this day and age, I wouldn’t yell, “Help!” I’d yell, “Fire!” Need to appeal to people’s sense of self-preservation, rather than to their sense of community.
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me.”
Wow. I was waiting for the first male to minimize the situation, and here we have it. Keep in mind women can just as easily carry a gun. She’s an adult, he’s a child, and it’s not funny. He spoke with Lafayette PD for a reason.
Minimization? Not really. Taking life too seriously will give you a heart attack. I learned that the hard way.
If she was trying to seduce him, that makes her a pedophile. There’s nothing funny about pedophiles, men or women. I have a great sense of humor… for things that are funny. Humor doesn’t lead to “involving law enforcement.” You don’t have to be a Mom to understand this. I will always take the protection of children very seriously. And I felt that way before I had children. If he wasn’t bothered by it, he wouldn’t of said anything to an older sibling. It’s easier than telling Mom and Dad. I think we know who called the police. GOOD PARENTS… AND SADLY, NOT ALL PARENTS ARE.