Watauga police working on leads in attempted abduction

Detectives continued on Wednesday to work on leads in the attempted abduction of a girl who escaped after she fought off her kidnapper.

Authorities were receiving tips in the case Wednesday after police released a photograph of a car driven by the suspect in the Monday afternoon attempt.

“We canvassed the neighborhood and a home had a surveillance camera that captured a car that fit the description of the one that the girl gave us,” said police Sgt. Jason Babcock on Wednesday. “The car passed a few times in front of the home, but it wasn’t seen again after the attempted abduction.”

The 11-year-old girl told police that she was walking home from school about 3 p.m. Monday in the 6100 block of Nelson Terrace when she saw a man walking toward her on a sidewalk. She also noticed a black car parked on the street near him.

The girl was about 100 yards from her home.

“He timed it where she was near his car when he grabbed her. He never said a word,” Babcock said. “She broke her tooth and busted her lip when she hit her mouth as he tried to put her in the car.”

But the girl fought and screamed.

“At some point, he screamed at her to get out of the car,” Babcock said.

The girl ran home and the suspect drove away.

Police described the suspect as an African-American man, about 30 years old, 6 feet tall, average build, wearing a tan or light beanie with dark sweat pants and a long white T-shirt.

The car is a black four-door Mercedes C23, around 1999 to 2003 model.

Police said a man with the same description tried to lure another girl last month in the city, but he never got out of the car. She ran away from him. The witness also gave the same vehicle description as the car used in the Monday attempted abduction.

Anyone with information on the case should call Watauga police at 817-514-5783.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Watauga police working on leads in attempted abduction."