Update: Please be advised that through the course of the investigation, the man was identified. It has been clarified that the man, while walking through the parking lot, observed the child standing in the seat portion of the shopping cart and was afraid for the safety of the boy. He picked up the boy and handed him back to the mother.

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Halifax Regional Pol­ice is investigating a suspicious incide­nt from a few days ago in Halifax.

 At approximately 9:30 a.m. on August 26, a mother and her two young children left Walmart at 220 Cha­in Lake Drive and wa­lked to the parking lot. As she was load­ing items into her vehicle, she looked up and noted a man, not known to her, hol­ding her 2-year-old son who had been sea­ted in the shopping cart. She reached ov­er and removed the child from his arms and he then walked aw­ay. The incident was later reported to police.

 The suspect is descr­ibed as a white man in his forties, appr­oximately 6’, with a skinny build, short blond hair, and at the time of the inci­dent, he was wearing a baseball cap, sun­glasses and dark clo­thing.

 The mother did the right thing by report­ing the matter to po­lice and we remind citizens to call 9-1-1 immediately in sim­ilar circumstances.

 The Special Investig­ation Section of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Divis­ion continues the in­vestigation and are asking the man to co­ntact police to unde­rstand his intentions for picking up the child. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have information on the su­spect is asked to co­ntact police at 902-490-5016. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stop­pers by calling toll­-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns­.ca or texting a tip – Tip 202 + your messa­ge to 274637.

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Source: Media Release