SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Lake Mary police are asking residents to keep a close eye on their children after a suspect tried to grab a 9-year-old girl in broad daylight at an apartment complex.
Officers said the incident happened Monday around 6:45 p.m. at the Bell Timacuan Apartments near Rinehart Road and Timacuan Boulevard.
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Police said the girl was approached by the man and grabbed by the arm while playing outside of her home while her mother was inside putting away groceries.
“She was playing on her hoverboard, minding her own business and she realized she was in trouble,” said Zach Hudson, spokesman for Lake Mary police.
The girl told police the suspect grabbed her by the arm and tried to drag her behind the buildings onto the back sidewalk, but she screamed then ran away.
The child was able to escape and get help as the man ran away from the area, police said. The girl said the suspect fled toward Timucuan and Graybill, then disappeared.
The suspect is described as being in his 20s, with brown hair and blonde highlights, and about 6 feet tall. He was last see wearing black pants and a black shirt, as well as a black surgical mask. The girl also said he smelled like smoke.
“Beyond that, we don’t have a lot to go on,” Hudson said. “Masks are making it difficult to identify a lot of criminal activity, unfortunately.”
Police are warning parents to watch their children as they play outside.
“Middle of the afternoon -- it’s a very scary thing,” Hudson said. “Ultimately, parents have to keep an eye on those kids. And in this particular case, she did everything she could to get away from that individual and, thankfully, that worked.”
Despite the suspect wearing a mask, police are working on a sketch in the hopes someone might recognize him and get him off the streets.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Lake Mary police at 407-585-1330.
On Monday June 1st 2020, at approximately 6:45 pm, the Lake Mary Police Department responded to the area of Bell Timacuan Apartments, for a suspicious incident. An unknown male subject approached and grabbed a juvenile by the arm as she played outside her home.
— Jeff Levkulich (@jlevkulichWFTV) June 2, 2020
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