The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a possible case of child annoying after a teenage girl reported that a man ordered her into his van Thursday afternoon.

About 2:27 p.m., a 17-year old girl was walking eastbound on Cathedral Oaks near Los Carneros when she says a man in an older Volkswagen van drove up behind her and told her to get in his vehicle.

The girl began running, yelling and waving her arms to attract attention, but the man continued to follow and yell an expletive at the teenager. The driver of another vehicle noticed the commotion and pulled behind the van, which then immediately drove off. The girl was not injured, and the second vehicle left before deputies arrived.

The driver of the van is described as a white male, in his late 40s with sandy blond medium-length hair, a mustache, goatee and prescription eyeglasses.

Deputies would like to talk to anyone who witnessed the incident or may have information about the man in the van. They also encourage the driver of the second car to contact the sheriff’s department so deputies can gather more information.

Call the Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at 805.681.4171.

— Drew Sugars is a public information officer with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.