Caught on camera: attempted child abduction
MILWAUKEE, WI -- Milwaukee Police are enlisting the public's help in identifying and locating a suspect accused of attempting to abduct a 7-year-old girl.
The incident occurred just after 3 p.m. on July 30.
According to WITI, the child was in front of her home playing when a man came up to her and attempted to lure her into coming with him
The girl refused and the man then attempted to pick her up, but the child was able to get away.
When the child ran home, her mother called police.
Fortunately, the little girl did not suffer any injuries, but she is shaken up by the events. Neighbors are praising her for her bravery.
WITI spoke with a mother of two who said that she was horrified by the attempted abduction. It happened near where she teaches.
"I was very scared. A little freaked out," she said.
And before her students took their daily trip to the park on Friday, she had some words for them.
"It was a little scary having to break that news to our students -- but it was very important they knew how to conduct themselves outside of a school building," the woman said to WITI.
Her message was simple: don't talk to strangers.
Meantime, the mother of the 7-year-old girl who was almost abducted told WITI that she's armed her daughter with tips on what to do if a stranger approaches her.
"I tell her every day -- 'This is what you do if somebody comes. You better kick. You better bite. You better do something,'" the girl's mother told WITI.
And those tips saved the little girl from near tragedy.
"I'm still shocked. Like, why my baby? She said he didn`t touch her in the wrong place or nothing. He just was like -- she said he grabbed her, cradled her and tried to run with her," the girl's mother said.
"She`s doing fine. She`s still a little shook up or whatever, but she's doing fine. She`s a survivor -- that`s what she is," the girl's mother said.
The suspect has been described as a black male in his early 20s. He has a short haircut and was wearing a light-colored tank and green shorts.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Milwaukee police at 414-935-7401.