Toronto police are warning of a potential sex offender that they say approached an eight-year-old girl.

Police say the girl was walking to school in the area of Dundas St E and Berkley St Wednesday morning when she was approached by a man.

The man allegedly grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her towards him.

Police say the girl pulled away and was able to escape, running into her school.

The man was last seen running westbound on Dundas Street E.

He is described as having a dark-black complexion, short straight hair, in his 30s, about 6 feet tall, with a skinny build and brown eyes. He was wearing grey business-style pants, business-style shoes, and a grey waist-length jacket. He had a gold earring which had a small "m" on it and a scar under his left eye.