A 37-year-old Calgary man, Zane Merchant, has been arrested in Alberta and charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, solicitation of sexual intercourse and fleeing police. The incident occurred earlier this week in Airdrie, when a 12-year-old boy was able to escape from his car and call 911 after it stopped at a red light.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they were assisted by Calgary Police and the HAWKS helicopter, who located the suspect’s vehicle in northeast Calgary and arrested the suspect. The investigation revealed that at least seven teenagers attempted to arrange a meeting with the suspect through the Snapchat app, using a “To Catch a Predator” video. One of the 12-year-old boys volunteered to get into the suspect’s car so that other teens could record the interaction, but the suspect fled after getting in.

Mark Auger of the Alberta Crime Response Team (ALERT) described the incident as “extremely dangerous” and warned that teens should not be put in risky situations. Christopher Hrynik of Airdrie RCMP also stressed that these actions could lead to violence, suicide or sexual abuse.

Merchant was previously known to the International Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) and has multiple cases against him. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

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