A man suspected of a "brazen daytime attempted kidnap of a school girl" near her elementary school in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles was sought today by police.
The suspect approached the victim about 7:45 a.m. Thursday as she walked to school in the 1700 block of Vineyard Avenue and stood directly behind her, causing the victim to turn, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.
The victim attempted to continue walking to school when the suspect grabbed her backpack and said "Let's go," the statement said.
The girl managed to slip out of her backpack and run to the school, where, according to KNX1070, the 10-year-old is in the fifth grade.
The fifth grader was on her way to Alta Loma Elementary School with her friends when the man allegedly grabbed her backpack from behind she managed to slip out of it and they all got away. Now police are searching for the suspect, a tall, black man in his 30s with red tips in his hair. Thanks for the girl's description police have a composite sketch of the suspect. Residents in the area around the school would like to see him caught.
Police say parents need to remind their kids not to talk to strangers and though they believe this was an isolated incident they'll have officers on extra patrols today.
The suspect was last seen running southbound on Vineyard Avenue and out of sight. School staff searched the area for the suspect, but he was not found, the LAPD said.
LAPD Capt. Tim Nordquist told Fox11 the girl was courageous in the way she responded to the attack.
"I just give this young girl so much credit for having the composure to -- number one -- run away; and -- number two -- to look back and get a good look at this suspect," Nordquist said.
"So, this little girl, she was the wrong person to mess with, because she knew what to do," Nordquist said. "She knew to run away, and (to) look back and see who that was."
Police released a composite sketch of the suspect, described as black, between 30 and 35, 6 feet 2, with a medium build. He has curly black hair with red tips and was wearing a blue shirt and black pants, police said.
Anyone with information about this attempted kidnapping was asked to call LAPD Wilshire Division Robbery Detective D. Slater at 213-922-8217 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
Detectives with #LAPD are trying to get the word out about an alleged attempted kidnapping of a girl on her way to school Thursday morning. A sketch of the suspect is on the left. @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/LlPZtgW80J
— Jon Baird (@KNXBaird) April 26, 2019Police in #LosAngeles are looking for this man who allegedly tried to kidnap a girl on her way to #AltaLomaElementary School early Thursday morning. Note the red tips in his hair. @KNX1070 pic.twitter.com/L3NZvSv2zg
— Jon Baird (@KNXBaird) April 26, 2019-CNS and KNX 1070
