Attempted Child Abduction Reported In Poway

POWAY, CA – Authorities were on the lookout Friday for three men involved in an apparent child abduction attempt in a North County neighborhood.

The unidentified trio was in a dirty older-model white van that began following two boys, ages 9 and 12, in the 16400 block of Martincoit Road in Poway about 6 p.m. Thursday, according to sheriff's Sgt. Robert Roberson.

As the youths walked down the street, the van pulled up alongside them, and a front-seat passenger with a black ski mask pulled down over his face tried to grab the older one and yelled at him to get in, the sergeant said.

The victim was able to elude the man's grasp, and moments later the van sped off to the south. The boys then ran to a friend's home nearby and made a 911 call.

Though the youngsters were unable to provide detailed descriptions of the three men, they told investigators the van had a dented rear wheel well on the passenger's side, Roberson said.

"There were no witnesses, and no one is in custody," the sergeant said Friday afternoon.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock