Vernon North Okanagan RCMP and the Vernon School District are working closely with one another to determine circumstances surrounding an upsetting incident Monday, March 10, in Coldstream.

Police received a report at around 4:30 p.m. of a suspicious occurrence near Coldstream Elementary School on Kalamalka Road.

"Police received a call from a parent who's child told them they were followed by an unknown man while they were on their way home from school," said media liaison officer Const. Chris Terleski. "Police are actively investigating the report."

The parent took to social media to warn others.

They said their child had been walking home near the school and thought a man may be following her. The child turned around, crossed the road and headed toward home. The man, said the parent, continued to follow, then began to chase the child.

The student ran into a friend's yard on a side street off Kalamalka Road.

"He jumped into an older white van and sped off," said the parent, who described the alleged suspect as a man wearing a black leather vest with no shirt on underneath, beard, and lots of tattoos.

Anybody with any information is asked to call the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, or you can leave a tip anonymously, either at Crime Stoppers online at , or by calling 1-800-222-8477.