Fifth-Grader Reports Abduction Attempt In Oceanside

OCEANSIDE, CA—Authorities are on the lookout for a man suspected of trying to kidnap a fifth-grade girl who was walking to school in Oceanside. Police said he made a failed attempt to pull her into a waiting vehicle.

The girl was on her way to Laurel Elementary School when she saw a man standing next to a dark-gray or black vehicle with tinted windows alongside San Diego Street near Lemon Street, according to police.

"As she got closer, the man opened the passenger-side door of the SUV and grabbed her right arm," Detective J.R. Ferrer said. "The victim pulled away, kicked at the suspect and ran to school."

The would-be abductor then got back into the vehicle and drove off to the south. No injuries were reported. The girl described the man as a bald, heavyset white man with a black beard. He appeared to be in his 30s and was wearing black pants, a light-blue shirt and a black jacket, the child told police.