Police: Man tried to coax teenage girl into car at Petaluma shopping center

The man pulled up next to a 13-year-old girl and asked the teen to “get in” his car Tuesday evening, police said.|

Petaluma police are seeking a man suspected of attempting to coax a teenage girl into his vehicle at a west Petaluma shopping center Tuesday evening.

Around 5:55 p.m., a man reportedly pulled up next to a 13-year-old girl as she was walking in the parking lot of the River Plaza Shopping Center and told her to “get in” to his vehicle, according to a news release from the police department. She yelled “no” and ran in the opposite direction, Lt. Tim Lyons said.

Officers searched the area but weren’t able to locate the suspect or the vehicle.

The juvenile told police that she didn’t know the man or recognize the car, which was described as a 1990s champagne-colored Honda sedan, Lyons said.

The man is described as a Hispanic male who was about 40 or 50 years old with a “stubble beard,” wearing a blue baseball cap and a dark colored shirt, Lyons said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Petaluma Police Department at (707) 778-4372.

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