MIAMI — The start of the school day Wednesday came with extra precautions after a man allegedly tried abducting a middle school student in Miami.
Meanwhile, Miami police said they are still reviewing surveillance video in an attempt to corroborate the girl’s report.
Crossing guards near Jose de Diego Middle School, just north of the Wynwood neighborhood, were staying vigilant and many parents chose to walk their kids to campus Wednesday.
According to police, the victim told detectives that she was nearly abducted at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday while walking near the school on Northwest Fifth Avenue.
“He pulled the student and grabbed her and pulled her into the alleyway and attempted to remove her clothing,” a dispatcher is heard saying on the police scanner.
Miami police said the girl told them she fought the man off and ran to school to report the attack.
“This area is always dangerous -- you have to be careful,” parent Amanda Portillo said. “That’s why, when I drop of my son, I watch to make sure he gets inside, for his safety.”
Parents said they were disturbed and voiced their concerns about children walking to school. They said their worries about safety in the neighborhood are now growing deeper.
“Lots of young girls walk home here. That’s dangerous,” parent Aureliano Gonzalez said.
Police issued a Be On The Lookout (BOLO) for the subject, who was described as a Black male who is bald and between 5-foot-11 and 6-feet tall. He was wearing a backpack with a Haitian flag on it.
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