A man driving a white pickup followed a 10-year-old girl near
Glen View Elementary School, area residents said.
Gilroy – A man driving a white pickup followed a 10-year-old girl near Glen View Elementary School, area residents said.
A Hispanic male between the ages of 40 and 50 drove a vehicle slowly behind a child walking on the sidewalk near the intersection of West Eighth and Princevalle streets “earlier in the day” Sunday, police said. An adult neighbor, seeing the situation, went out to the street and scared the driver off, police said.
“The witness made eye contact with driver of the truck,” Sgt. Jim Gillio said. “This made the driver of the truck uncomfortable and he fled the area.”
The witness said the man had black hair, a dark moustache and a heavy build. However, the man drove off before witnesses could get a detailed description or the license plate number, police said.
The incident is the third incident of drivers following children in less than two months. On Aug. 30, an older Hispanic man driving a white van followed and approached a 17-year-old female before she ran into her house and called police, according to a police report. On Sept. 14, a younger Hispanic man approached a 17-year-old male near Gilroy High School and offered him a ride, police said. The driver left the scene when a law enforcement vehicle drove by. In both cases, the van was described as having marred paint.
“Police have not ruled out a connection between the driver of the white van and the driver of the white pickup truck,” Gillio said.
However, police do not suspect that the man driving the white pickup truck was involved in an April sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy in the amphitheater of Christmas Hill Park.
The boy got into a car with a young Hispanic man who offered him a ride to the library.
While the incident took place Sunday, it was not reported until Monday afternoon.
Police do not know why witnesses waited, but encouraged witnesses of similar incidents to make reports immediately after they happen.
“If we can send out an officer immediately to the scene that makes the investigation much easier,” Gillio said.
Anyone with information related to this incident can call Gilroy police at 846-0350 or leave an anonymous tip at 846-0330.
