E.L. police investigating reported incident at school

EAST LANSING - Police are investigating an incident in which a middle school student was approached by a man outside of a school building on Monday.

The  student said she was leaving basketball practice at MacDonald Middle School when a man driving a red Chrysler 300 stopped, told her was an Uber driver and asked if she had called for a ride, East Lansing schools Superintendent Robyne Thompson said in a message to parents on Wednesday.

The girl backed away from the car and and got into another vehicle, according to Thompson's message. The man in the car pulled in front of the school and waited a few minutes before driving off, she said.

"We can't say for sure if this was an attempted crime," said Detective Sgt. Chad Connelly. "It could be a miscommunication."

Information about the incident has been circulating on social media. At least one post suggested that police had received other reports of a man in a red car approaching young women.

Connelly said Wednesday that the car described by the girl isn't part of any other investigation.

"ELPD has stated they are increasing patrols in the area," Thompson's letter said. "We applaud the student for acting so prudently when she felt uncomfortable about a stranger."

Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.