By RUSS OLIVO

WOONSOCKET — Police are investigating the attempted abduction of a 9-year-old girl while she was on her way to the Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School on Friday.

Detective Lt. Eugene Jalette said the girl was walking near Tech Industries on Fairmount Street when a man in a red SUV pulled up alongside her and asked if she wanted a ride. Jalette said the girl did not respond and kept walking. The man driving the SUV pulled into the parking lot of Tech Industries to turn around and drove off toward River Street without attempting to make any further contact with the girl, Jalette said.
When the girl got to school, she told Principal Thomas Hazard what happened and he later informed Detective Sgt. Todd Fernandes of the Juvenile Bureau.
“We interviewed the girl and she appears to be credible,” said Jalette. “We’re taking the incident very seriously and we’re actively investigating.”
Jalette said police put the area of the attempted abduction under surveillance on Friday as they began searching for the suspect. Principal Hazard also drafted a letter to parents advising them what happened and urging them to take the proper precautions.
Jalette said the police learned that there had been an earlier attempted child abduction in Blackstone last week, but he said it was “definitely not related” to what happened on Fairmount Street. Blackstone Police Chief Ross Atstupenas declined to provide any details of the latter incident, saying it was still under investigation.
The suspect vehicle in Woonsocket was described as an older, mid-sized SUV, red, with Massachusetts plates, said Jalette.
 The driver was a white male between 30 and 40 years old with dark hair and a goatee.
Anyone with information that might be helpful in leading to the apprehension of the suspect is urged to contact the Woonsocket Police Department at 766-1212 or Detective Sgt. Fernandes in the juvenile bureau, 767-8836.