Three women on a leisurely stroll around Nexen Beach were shaken when an apparently disturbed man popped out from behind some bushes and began yelling at them Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Two of the women were friends pushing their baby strollers when the third woman approached them while noticing the man's odd behaviour.
"I noticed a gentleman hiding in the bush and really watching the two ladies and seemed to be following them," she said, asking that her name be withheld. "First I thought he was one of their husband and he's going to come out and scare them - say 'Boo' or something. Then I realized quickly that this was creepy, so I stopped the ladies and asked them 'Did you know he was following you?' They both looked so shocked and they said 'No!'"
At that point, the man did come out from behind the bushes and began yelling and cursing at all three women.
"It was ridiculous, just completely ridiculous. He started screaming and swearing at us, calling us 'effen yuppies,' and 'You are ruining my beach and developing on my land. Just go back to Vancouver, I don't want you here.'"
The women were shaken, but didn't back down. Instead one of them yelled back, which appeared to mollify the man. He continued to lurk in the bushes, so the women called the police.
"I'm glad I didn't go deep in the trail," said the woman. "I was alone."
Cpl. Dave Ritchie said the call came in at 3 p.m. RCMP members attended, patrolled the area but didn't find the suspect. They took the statement from the women, one of whom believed she recognized the man from a local establishment.
They described him as in his 40s, solid build with salt and pepper hair wearing a T-shirt and backpack.
"One lady feels she can identify him but hasn't identified him to us yet," said Ritchie. "So it's still under investigation to ID the male."
He said RCMP would like to identify the man so police can keep track of his behaviour and possibly charge him with nuisance or mischief if he persists in harassing strangers.
Meanwhile, at least one of three women said she's changed the way she's enjoying trails.
"It's really scary, and you know it's a nice trail. A lot of money and effort has gone into putting it all together, but I won't go in there anymore. Well, not by myself. You can't do that if you are alone. Who would want to put themselves in danger? Nobody would, right?"
