11-year-old sexually assaulted while walking home from school in Wilmington
The Los Angeles Police Department needs help locating a man who allegedly sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl before trying to kidnap her in Wilmington Monday afternoon.
"You just don't expect something like that to happen, especially in front of your house," 17-year-old Yvonne said.
The teenager said she saw the man who attacked the girl at around 3:15 p.m. as she walked home from school near M Street and Gulf Avenue. Yvonne said she had just gotten home when she first noticed the suspicious man parked across the street.
"I go back to my business folding my clothes and that's when I see the little girl walking and I see the guy behind her," she said.
The 11-year-old was almost home when the suspect walked up and grabbed her from behind. Yvonne said she witnessed everything.
"That's when I see the little girl walking and I see the guy behind her," she said. "I saw him getting close to her and he put his arms around her. You can see the girl trying to move her way out of it."
Seeing enough, Yvonne yelled at the man to leave her alone while she finished chores inside her home. The suspect got startled and headed back to his car, saying the little girl was his niece, according to Yvonne.
"I was like that's not your niece," Yvonne said. "The little girl was able to run away from her house, I know she doesn't live that far from here."
Police described the suspect as a man between 20 and 30 years old, standing about 5-foot-10 and weighing 240 pounds. Investigators said he was driving a gray Nissan with a spare wheel mounted on the rear passenger side.
"I just really hope that they get him," Yvonne said. "I know that he's dangerous. He is a scary person."
