Police: Man tried to lure 16-year-old Chicago girl into minivan
A surveillance photo of the minivan used in an attempted child abduction Thursday afternoon in the West Lawn neighborhood. | Chicago Police
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Police are searching for a man who tried to lure a girl into a minivan as she walked home from school Thursday afternoon in the West Lawn neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
Between 3:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., the man was driving the minivan in the 6500 block of South Lawndale when he approached the girl from behind and said, “vena qui,” which translates from Spanish to “come here,” according to an alert from Chicago Police.
When the girl ignored him, the man got out of the minivan and grabbed her by the arm, police said. The girl then pulled away from the man and ran home.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man, thought to be between the ages of 35 and 40, with a dark complexion, black stubble and a bald head with hair on the sides, police said. The man was seen wearing a black t-shirt and black pants.
He was seen driving an older model silver or gray minivan, possibly a Dodge Grand Caravan, police said.
Anyone with information about the attempted child abduction should call Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8380.