Police in Chicago are searching for a man they say attempted to kidnap an 8-year-old girl as she played outside her grandmother’s house Sunday afternoon.
The family was gathered for a weekly dinner at the home of Teressia Kidd, the girl’s grandmother, ABC7 Chicago reports. The children always play outside in the South Austin neighborhood while waiting for dinner to be ready.
Cheneice Kidd, the girl’s mother, told ABC7 that she is outraged this happened on such a family-friendly block.
“It is strange. It is scary. It is very sickening, and this is a family block,” Cheneice said.
Teressia echoed those thoughts.
“We thought everything was fine because around here we kind of look out for each other, you know. So something like this you don’t really expect just to happen,” Teressia said.
“I’m scared, not just for my kids, but for everyone else’s kids,” Cheneice said.
According to police, as the girl was riding her bike around 3:30 p.m., an unknown man approached her and put a plastic bag over her head. The girl kicked the man and ran into her grandmother’s house. The man fled down the street.
“You could see in her face something was wrong. She is not a crybaby, so she wasn’t crying. She was just confused as of the incident that took place,” Cheniece said.
Cheniece told ABC7 that she attempted to track the man down after calling 911.
“I immediately drove my car and rode around and try to find the man she described, but I didn’t find anybody,” she said.
Cheniece also told ABC7 that she was thankful her daughter knew what to do to protect herself.
“I am extremely proud that I raised a fighter. She is not going to give up and let nobody take her. She knows she has family that loves her and wants her home,” Cheniece said.
“You got to be prayed up. Expect the unexpected. Things can happen at the wink of an eye,” Teressia said.
According to ABC7, the suspect is described as a black male, 5 feet 5 inches tall, medium build, approximately 40 years old, with a bald head and a tattoo of a heart on his neck. He was last seen wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt, black pants and blue low-top shoes
Thankfully, the girl was not hurt in the incident.
Read more at ABC7 Chicago.