Sketch Shows Man Who Tried to Abduct Girl

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  Police distributed a sketch Wednesday of a man who tried to abduct a 13-year-old girl walking to class at Spring View Middle School.

The girl, who was not identified, was not injured and foiled the Monday morning abduction attempt by screaming and fighting off her attacker before running to safety, police said.

The girl described the assailant as a thin Latino in his 30s, with long black hair and a mustache, wearing brown pants and a long-sleeve, black shirt. He was driving an older, light blue, two-door sedan, according to police.

The girl was walking at 7:35 a.m. near the corner of Summer Cloud Lane and Farinella Drive, a few blocks from school, when she saw the man sitting in his car, according to Huntington Beach Police Lt. Dan Johnson.

The girl told police she recognized him as the same man who had followed her two months earlier, a lead that investigators are looking into, Johnson said.

School officials distributed fliers to students and phoned parents to spread the word about the attempted kidnapping, Spring View Principal Charles Milligan said.

“We’re also using this opportunity to teach and advise our kids, talking to them about what they should do if a stranger approaches them,” Milligan said.

More parents are driving their children to school as a result of the attempted kidnapping and are taking more precautions such as dropping off their children closer to the school, he said.

“Huntington Beach is generally a quiet community,” Milligan said. “When things become quiet, you sort of become used to your routine and you’re less aware. This is a wake-up call for us all.”

Spring View administrators also are expanding security, patrolling a larger perimeter around campus before and after school.

“We’re checking out the nooks and crannies off the beaten path,” Milligan said.