Police: False alarm on teen motorist who offered 3 boys a ride

GLENDALE — Police officials say they have determined a 16-year-old motorist had not committed any wrongdoing Wednesday night when he approached three kids in Glenoaks Canyon and asked if they needed a ride, prompting school administrators to issue a district-wide warning call to parents.

Glendale Unified School District officials issued a phone alert about 7 p.m. Wednesday to parents that a suspicious man, who drove a black Lexus, had approached the students on their way home from school, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. The elementary school children declined the ride.

Police were notified of the alert and immediately launched an investigation into the claim to determine the whereabouts of the man.

One of the kids told his parents that they had seen the man exit a driveway in the 2200 block of Glenoaks Canyon Drive before approaching them, Lorenz said.

Police went to the home where the kids had seen the Lexus and spoke to the motorist, who was one of their neighbors.

The motorist was a 16-year-old boy, who told police that he was just trying to be neighborly when he approached the kids.

The boy told police that “it was sprinkling and he wanted to do the right thing,” Lorenz said.

Police concluded the boy had not committed in any wrongdoing.

The district-wide call spurred a flurry of inquires from concerned parents to the Police Department.

Still, while the incident turned out to be a false alarm, Lorenz said residents should call police when they notice any suspicious activity.

“Always be vigilant,” he said.