Charges laid after attempted abduction of 7-year-old girl at Chilliwack elementary school

The playground at Chilliwack Central Elementary School can be seen in this file photo taken on Aug. 8, 2022.

A man has been charged after an alleged abduction attempt at an elementary school in Chilliwack on Wednesday morning.

In a news release Thursday, Chilliwack RCMP said the man attempted to abduct a seven-year-old girl on the grounds of Chilliwack Central Elementary School just after 9 a.m.

“A man had allegedly attempted to remove the child from school property before a concerned citizen intervened and brought the child back to the school,” Mounties said in the release, adding that the child was not hurt in the incident.

Shortly after, RCMP said a man matching the suspect’s description was found nearby and taken into custody.

Joel McGillis has since been charged with kidnapping a person under 16 years of age, Mounties said.

Authorities added that McGillis and the child are not known to each other and they believe this is an isolated incident.

“Chilliwack RCMP is taking this incident extremely seriously. The safety of children in our community is a key priority and we recognize how concerning this type of event is for families,” Supt. Darren Pankratz said in the release. “We are working closely with the school district as this investigation continues and we thank the members of the public who assisted in ensuring the child’s safety and helping police quickly locate and arrest the suspect.”

Chilliwack RCMP are urging anyone who noticed someone wearing a purple “bunny-like” mask to come forward as they might have information that could assist investigators.

McGillis remains in custody pending his next court appearance scheduled for Friday.