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DRAPER -- Draper police are searching for a man who attempted to kidnap a 10-year-old girl while she was riding her bike.
The little girl had the presence of mind to start honking the bike horn when the man grabbed her. That scared him off right away.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. on Monday near Old English Road and Lone Rock Drive. Police say the man in his 30s came up behind the girl and put his hands over her mouth. She immediately made noise with the horn, and the man ran north toward a green truck.
The girl didn't see if he got into that truck. She rode home and told her father, who then called 911. By the time police got there, the suspected abductor was gone.
Draper police Sgt. Chad Carpenter said, "I think the girl acted very wisely. She made noise, she did something that would call attention to that area, which I think was the right thing to do."
Officers say the neighborhood where this occurred is usually pretty quiet. Willow Springs Elementary is yards away. School is out for the summer, but kids still go play on the playground.
Resident Jace Rozsa said, "Yeah, there's always kids out playing. No one really has a care; no one's really worried. It's a pretty safe neighborhood."
Draper resident Alyssa Longmore said, "It's a little scary to think in this neighborhood something like that can happen."
Another resident, Kendra Olson, said, "I had some neighbors come and talk to me about it yesterday, and it kind of hit me. And I turned and looked at my kids, and I was shocked."
Many young families reside in this neighborhood, so there are lots of children around.
Officers say with summer here, children need to be more cautious since an adult may not always be around.
"Always make sure of your surroundings. Make sure you're with a group, that you're not by yourself. Let your parents know where you're going to go, what time you're going to come home," Carpenter said.
The police department also wants to remind parents that this type of crime can happen anywhere. Police say if possible, a parent or older sibling should be near, because you just never know when something like this can happen.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com
