Community Concerns After Reports Of Child Abduction Attempts
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) - Fort Worth police are increasing patrols in a north side neighborhood, after three reports of attempted child abductions in the last eight days.
The first incident occurred at the intersection of Timberland Boulevard and Hollow Valley Drive on May 15. The next incident happened a week later, near Woodland Springs Drive and Netleaf Lane on May 21. The male suspect reportedly told the child that their mother was in the hospital. The child ran away from the scene and alerted the authorities.
Law enforcement officials now have a pretty good description of the suspect. He is a white male, possibly in his 30s, with short brown hair and a medium build. Also, he had a tattoo wrapping around his right bicep that appeared to have three circles with small crosses inside. He was parked along a curb in a red Ford pickup truck.
Police said that this physical description essentially matches that of another attempted abduction which took place last week near Hollow Valley Drive and Timberland Boulevard, close to Caprock Elementary School. However, the vehicle in that incident was different — a dark blue or black Nissan Titan.
On May 22, a boy told police he was approached by a man at a park on Meridian Lane, who demanded the boy get in his truck. Police have not determined if this incident is related. "He said, 'get in the car now.' I said 'no.' So I started to walk home because I was scared. He got out of the car and he started chasing me. I ran as fast as I could home," said 12-year-old Ryan Driggars.
Each child involved knew to run away, but the three reports have heightened parents' concerns in the area.
At a called crime watch meeting at the Villages of Woodland Springs, Officer Barry Sawyer told a group of about 40 parents that the Fort Worth Police Department is working on all leads.
"We're certainly not going to give information that's going to compromise our investigation. You have to understand that. But there are some wheels in motion, based on the recent events," Sawyer told the group.
The major case unit is searching databases to narrow down a possible suspect, or vehicle. But Officer Sawyer told the crowd how challenging that can be: in the 76244 zip code, a 'black or dark blue Nissan Titan' matched 502 vehicles.
Sawyer addressed rumors stirring on neighborhood websites and social media that more reports of attempted abductions have happened. He says police are only aware of three instances in this investigation.
He told the group police will be a heightened presence in this area throughout the holiday weekend -- and to keep reporting suspicious activity.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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