Magnolia child luring? All a misunderstanding, police say

SEATTLE -- A reported child luring in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle was nothing more than a misunderstanding.

On Wednesday, Seattle police said a mother and her elementary school-aged daughter were waiting for the bus near the intersection of 34th Avenue West and Brygger Drive West when a man driving a gold minivan pulled up to the pair.

The man said he was working for school transportation, and allegedly told the mother he was there to pick up her child. The mother refused to let the child go with the man, police said, and she took out her cellphone and began snapping pictures before the man drove off.

Seattle police issued a blog post seeking more information on the man later Wedensday.

But on Thursday morning, the same man in the same minivan appeared again in Magnolia. This time, he was cornered by news crews. The man told crews he works for a company called American Logistics Company, and he was indeed contracted by the school district to pick up a student. The man said he was filling in while the regular route driver was on vacation.

American Logistics Company does transport students, Seattle Public Schools confirmed.

Seattle police were called to the scene and they interviewed the driver. Police told Q13 FOX News that the man's story was legitimate, and both he and his employer were very cooperative.

"Officers are confident that no crime occurred," police said. "There will be no further investigation at this point."

A language barrier may have compounded the situation.

Officers also said the mother and daughter did the right thing by refusing a ride Wednesday.