RCMP say a 37-year-old Calgary man has been charged after a 12-year-old boy was abducted in Airdrie on Monday evening.
Police were called around 7:50 p.m. on August 18 after the boy got into the suspect’s vehicle in the Coopers Crossing neighbourhood. The victim managed to escape when the vehicle stopped at a red light and immediately called 911.
RCMP located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled south on Highway 2. Calgary Police Service, with support from HAWKS, later found the suspect at a residence in northeast Calgary and took him into custody. He was turned over to Airdrie RCMP.
Investigators say the incident involved a “catch a predator” scheme arranged through Snapchat. Seven youth coordinated the meeting, and one 12-year-old voluntarily got into the vehicle while the interaction was being recorded by others.
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A search warrant was executed at the suspect’s home and vehicle. The man now faces multiple charges, including abduction of a person under 14, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, kidnapping, forcible confinement, flight from a peace officer, and three counts of breaching a prohibition order.
The accused was remanded into custody following a Judicial Interim Release Hearing and is scheduled to appear in Alberta Court of Justice in Airdrie on August 21.