CHANDLER, AZ — Chandler police are investigating after a young boy said he was lured from his bus stop and sexually assaulted in late July.
Police say the assault happened on July 29 around 7 a.m., when the child was allegedly lured from a bus stop near Islands Elementary School by a man driving a golf cart.
Officials say the suspect allegedly took the boy to an apartment complex near Warner and McQueen roads and sexually assaulted him.
Gilbert School District officials tell ABC15 they were notified by Chandler police that one of their students was involved in an incident that happened off-campus. The district says it sent a letter to families of that school sharing as much information as they could with approval from the police.
Below is the letter sent to parents from Gilbert School District:
"Dear Parents,
It is important to us to keep our parents and families as informed as possible and therefore we wanted to update you with some information we received from Chandler PD regarding an incident that occurred involving one of our students in your local area. This incident did not occur on school grounds.
Please see below information from Chandler PD.
“The Chandler Police Department is investigating an assault on a student from Islands Elementary that occurred on July 29, 2022, off school grounds. We remind all parents and students to walk in groups, be aware of surroundings and don't talk to strangers.
If you have any information to share regarding this, please get in touch with the Chandler Police Department at 480-782-4130."
The safety of our students is always a top priority for us, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team here at Islands. We are here to help."
The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic man with dark hair and dark eyes, riding a black golf cart, and was wearing a dark blue or black colored shirt with letters on it and dark pants that could be blue, according to police.
Police say they are aware that maintenance workers in the complex often ride carts in the area, but they are currently looking for other leads.
The investigation remains ongoing, anyone with information is being asked to call Chandler PD at 480-782-4130.
