SA Police say “significant” police resources have been deployed near a school in Adelaide’s west following an alleged incident where a student was grabbed by a man.
Key points:
- A man allegedly grabbed a girl at Glenelg Primary School
- The student managed to escape and gave police a detailed description of the suspect
- Police have deployed significant resources to the investigation
The incident at Glenelg Primary School was reported to police about 10am on Tuesday.
Police say a man approached a female student on the first floor of the school’s main building, grabbed her right wrist and pulled her down the stairs.
The girl was able to pull away from his grip before the man ran away.
The man is described as being about 180cm tall, bald and was wearing a knee-length light blue shirt, black pants, a black face mask and carrying a beanie.
The student told detectives the man had purple nail polish on one thumb and was wearing a distinctive black ring with bright dots.
The suspect was also wearing a black twisted bracelet on his wrist as well as two earrings on one of his ears.
Assistant Police Commissioner Scott Duval said detectives have spoken with staff and students and viewed security footage in the vicinity, but have not found any witnesses.
“So, someone who is not meant to be there, and in this case approaching a student, is really concerning,” he said.
“We have had significant police deployment in the area around the school. The amount of deployment to this investigation is really akin to the type of seriousness we put in it.
“The involvement of the police has not wanted and will not want until we get to a point [where] we’ve exhausted all our investigation, or hopefully arrested the person responsible for this incident.”
The student was not injured during the incident.
Assistant Commissioner Duval said reports that the man was in the female toilets at the school and chased students were incorrect and “unhelpful.”
“There have been reports of this man going into the female student toilets — I can categorically say that is incorrect,” Assistant Commissioner Duval said.
“There have been other reports that this man chased the student, and again, I say that is not true.
“There were reports that other students, and perhaps staff, witnessed this incident and again I say those reports are untrue and in many respects are not helpful to this investigation.”
He urged anyone who witnessed the incident or may have seen a man matching this description in the area to contact Crime Stoppers.
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