Man who tried to pick kids up in Morgan Park was actually sent by family: police

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Investigators have determined that a man they thought was trying to abduct kids Friday outside Morgan Park High School had actually been asked to pick them up by a family member.

At least two children were waiting for a ride home about 3:10 p.m. Friday in the 1700 block of West Chelsea Place, according to Chicago police.

Police said a man drove over and said, “Your mom told me to come pick you guys up.”

The kids walked away, however, and called the cops. Police issued a community alert Sunday night that referred to the incident as an attempted kidnapping.

Police canceled the alert Monday afternoon when “further investigation revealed this was a consensual pickup arranged by a family member.”

**Editor's note: We removed the image of the man previously pictured in this story as it was revealed to police that he was sent by a family member to pick the kids up after school.**