A stranger who had a canine and candy sicced one on a group of kids when they refused the other.

New Smyrna Beach, Florida police say as a group of eight children were walking to Chisholm Elementary School, they encountered a man with his dog.

The man offered the kids candy and they declined.

The children say that’s when he ordered his dog to chase them.

“When the students refused, he had his dog chase them,” Volusia County Schools spokeswoman Nancy Wait tells News 1150. “The students ran to school and reported the incident immediately. Law enforcement was contacted.”

“He said, do you want some candy? Come to my house if you want some candy,” 12-year-old Dawntaysia Hankins tells Local 6.

“The dog started growling and giving us mean faces and he started chasing us.”

“I was screaming and I was running,” according to another one of the children, Catalena Padilla.

“We thought he was going to capture us in his house or something, therefore we ran and told our principal,” Dawntaysia adds.

Police have increased their patrols of the area.

“It’s kind of crazy. It’s a little nerve-wracking,” says John Padilla, the father of six of the kids who were approached.

“I’m very glad that they didn’t accept candy from someone who they don’t know. That right there made me proud.”

While police aren’t talking, school administrators are urging parents to talk to their children about strangers.

“[The call went] to all parents [reminding them] to talk to their children about not talking to strangers, walking in groups and reporting anything suspicious to an adult,” Wait says, according to News 1150.