WKRN Channel 2 News
Posted: Nov 03, 2011 10:05 PM CDT
By Tiani Jones, Reporter
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro police are searching for a man who attempted to abduct a seven-year-old girl Thursday morning from an Antioch bus stop.
The incident occurred at the intersection of Johnson Pass Road and Johnson Ridge Road around 7:30 a.m., however the victim did not tell anyone until after school.
"She's never going to the bus stop alone again ever," the victim's mother, Angie Garay, told Nashville's News 2.
Angie Garay said she typically sends her daughter out to the bus stop around 7:25 a.m. with dozens of other neighborhood children and the bus arrives minutes later.
However, on Thursday, due to the cold and rainy weather conditions, many of the other neighborhood children were inside their homes waiting for the school bus.
"Other kids have the luxury of hearing the bus as it approaches because they live closer to the main street," Angie Garay explained. "We have to send her out because we can't hear it in our house."
The girl said she was alone when the man approached her.
"I was just standing there by myself, and the person just came walking towards me and he asked me if I was there alone then I said yes and he pulled me by the arm and then I was running," she recalled.
The girl told police just as the man grabbed her by the arm, her school bus started coming up the street.
"The [other neighborhood] kids heard the sound of the bus and they all started coming out and he saw them and let her go," Angie Garay said.
The child did not tell anyone of the incident until later Thursday evening because she was scared and confused.
Her father, Marcos Garay, said when his daughter told him what happened at the bus stop he immediately called police.
"[She said], 'Dad somebody tried to kidnap me today,' and I asked her what she was talking about," he said.
Metro police Sgt. John Pepper said they are investigating the incident and plan to increase security in the neighborhood.
"We're going to have extra police officers out in this area, both marked and unmarked police cars, and we'd be interested what any of the neighbors have to say about suspicious vehicles or persons who might be in the area," he said.
Police also said they plan to investigate to see if any sex offenders have recently moved into the area.
Authorities urge parents to talk to their children about what to do if a stranger approaches them.
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