CHILLIWACK — Court documents suggest the man accused in the attempted abduction of a seven-year-old girl at a school in Chilliwack, B.C., this week has also been charged with an alleged armed assault in Vancouver last month, and has a long criminal record.
Chilliwack RCMP say Joel McGillis, 49, is charged with kidnapping a person under 16, after a man wearing a “purple bunny-like mask” tried to remove the girl from Chilliwack Central Elementary School grounds on Wednesday morning.
Police say the attempted abduction was thwarted by a concerned parent, who intervened and brought the child back to the school.
Linked online court records show a person named Joel McGillis, born in 1976, made an appearance at Vancouver Provincial Court on Thursday, charged over an alleged April 4 assault with a weapon, then appeared in Abbotsford on Friday morning.
Abbotsford court listings say an unnamed person appeared at the same 9:30 a.m. sitting, charged with kidnapping someone under 16.
Supt. Darren Pankratz with Chilliwack RCMP says a parent dropping off their child at the school noticed the situation wasn’t right and brought the girl back to school unharmed before notifying police.
Pankratz says McGillis and the girl did not know each other, and the situation, while rare, is a reminder for parents to have conversations with their children about safety.
Police say McGillis was known to police, and online court record show the person with the same name has convictions dating back 25 years, for offences including theft and break and enter.
RCMP are asking anyone who saw a person wearing a purple mask on Wednesday morning to contact them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.
The Canadian Press
