Alleged child luring has parents on alert

BALLARD -- The latest in a string of attempted child luring cases happened this week at the corner of 85th and 23rd NW in Ballard.

Police say a man in a dark blue car, wearing a dark hoodie, pulled over and asked a boy if he needed a ride early in the afternoon. The boy refused and ran home to tell his parents. His parents then alerted authorities at Whitman Middle School which is just blocks away.

The father of the victim says he son is fine but he wants parents in the area to know about what happened. This is the third attempted luring in the last week near Seattle. There have been almost a dozen in the Puget Sound region since the beginning of school.

Authorities say children should walk to/from school with a friend. Suspects typically target children walking alone.