Plantation Police: Attempted Abductor On The Loose
PLANTATION (CBSMiami) – Plantation Police are looking for a man who attempted to abduct a 12-year-old boy in a popular park.
Investigators say the boy was walking in Central Park on Friday afternoon when a man drove up next to him in an SUV, got out of the vehicle, grabbed the child and told him to get in his car.
"The child happened to have a tennis racket on him that he pulled out of his backpack and he whacked the guy with it a couple of times," said Plantation Police Detective Philip Toman. "He was able to break loose and he ran off."
Toman said the child was brave.
"He did what he had to do to defend himself and he did a good job at it," Toman said.
Police say there were no witnesses or surveillance video and they're surprised something like this could happen near the tennis center in Central Park which is usually very crowded.
"It is pretty brazen because in that part of the parking lot there is only one way in and one way out," Toman said.
Police say the child told them that the man had a prominent scar on the right side of his face near his jaw. Investigators say the child described the man as a white or Hispanic man in his mid-30's, standing 5 foot 10 to 6 feet tall and weighing 170 to 200 pounds. The child said the man had dark, brown hair jelled to the side, a small mustache and the scar on his face.
At this point, investigators say this appears to be an isolated incident.
"We haven't had any reports of this type of activity anywhere in the city," Toman said.
Police want to catch this man and they say it's a good time to remind people to be aware of their surroundings. They also say children should know that if a suspicious person approaches them, they should start running.
Investigators say if you have any information on this case, contact Crimestoppers at (954) 493-TIPS or the Plantation Police Department at (954) 797-2118.