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Did “something terrible” almost happen Thursday afternoon near Truman Elementary School, or was it an embarrassing “Whoops, that wasn’t who I thought it was” moment?
A man seemed to try to abduct a boy who was walking home from school, but police acknowledge he may have thought he was talking to someone else.
Either way, they want to find him and have a little talk with him.
Here’s what happened, according to a news announcement from Police Chief Mark Kearse: At 3:15 p.m., a car pulled up to a boy who was walking south on Holloway Street near the intersection with Missouri Avenue.
The boy was walking home from Truman Elementary School; the car was headed west on Missouri Avenue.
“Get in the car,” the man yelled after rolling down the passenger-side window of the car.
The boy stopped walking; the man started to get out of the car.
The boy turned around and ran back to Truman Elementary School.
“At this time it is not known if this was an actual attempted abduction or if the suspect mistook the child for someone else,” Kearse said. “The Rolla Police Department hopes that this was merely a mistaken identity by the suspect and not a true attempted child abduction; however, we urge all parents to talk about this with their children and use this as a teachable moment in hopes that we can prevent something terrible from happening in the future.”
The juvenile described the suspect and the suspect vehicle as: black male, possibly in his twenties, thin build, bald, wearing a black t-shirt. driving a newer maroon 4-door passenger car, smaller than a Ford Taurus.
“The juvenile was praised for doing the correct thing; he perceived danger and fled to the nearest safe location and reported it. At this time the suspect is not known,” Kearse said.
If anyone has information about this incident, contact Sgt. Wayne Rapier at the Rolla Police Department at (573) 308-1213.
Did “something terrible” almost happen Thursday afternoon near Truman Elementary School, or was it an embarrassing “Whoops, that wasn’t who I thought it was” moment?
A man seemed to try to abduct a boy who was walking home from school, but police acknowledge he may have thought he was talking to someone else.
Either way, they want to find him and have a little talk with him.
Here’s what happened, according to a news announcement from Police Chief Mark Kearse: At 3:15 p.m., a car pulled up to a boy who was walking south on Holloway Street near the intersection with Missouri Avenue.
The boy was walking home from Truman Elementary School; the car was headed west on Missouri Avenue.
“Get in the car,” the man yelled after rolling down the passenger-side window of the car.
The boy stopped walking; the man started to get out of the car.
The boy turned around and ran back to Truman Elementary School.
“At this time it is not known if this was an actual attempted abduction or if the suspect mistook the child for someone else,” Kearse said. “The Rolla Police Department hopes that this was merely a mistaken identity by the suspect and not a true attempted child abduction; however, we urge all parents to talk about this with their children and use this as a teachable moment in hopes that we can prevent something terrible from happening in the future.”
The juvenile described the suspect and the suspect vehicle as: black male, possibly in his twenties, thin build, bald, wearing a black t-shirt. driving a newer maroon 4-door passenger car, smaller than a Ford Taurus.
“The juvenile was praised for doing the correct thing; he perceived danger and fled to the nearest safe location and reported it. At this time the suspect is not known,” Kearse said.
If anyone has information about this incident, contact Sgt. Wayne Rapier at the Rolla Police Department at (573) 308-1213.
