Two young teen girls were sexually assaulted on Friday afternoon by a trio of males in their early 20s.
Prince George RCMP were called to the Pine Centre Mall shopping centre where the girls went to on-site security for help. According to police, security staff summoned Mounties and also started the search for the suspects.
"Security escorted the girls to a secure area and were able to identify and maintain surveillance of the trio until the suspects realized they were being watched and left in a vehicle driven by one of the males. Security was able to obtain a description of the vehicle and the license plate number," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Gary Godwin.
"Police immediately flooded the area with as many police vehicles as were available, and subsequently located the vehicle abandoned in a snowbank, close to Carney Street," he explained. "With persistent patrols, police were able to observe the three suspects running across 15th Avenue and arrested all three without incident on Douglas Street at approximately [3 p.m.]."
The three are now facing Criminal Code charges of sexual assault.
"Police would like to commend the Pine Centre's security in their professional handling of this incident," Godwin said.
Anyone who knows information to help the case, please call Prince George police at 250-561-3300 or anonymously tell Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS / www.pgcitizen.ca.
