Man Tried to Kidnap Girl Walking to Gaithersburg School: Police

GAITHERSBURG, MD — A girl walking from her apartment complex to a bus stop to get to Watkins Mill High School reported a man threatened her and tried to put a black bag over her head in a kidnapping attempt on Monday, according to Montgomery County Police.

The attempted kidnapping occurred before 7 a.m. near the Cider Mill Apartments pool in Gaithersburg. As the teen walked to her bus stop in the apartment complex on Lost Knife Circle, a black man approached her, told her to “shut up,” and attempted to put a black bag over her head, authorities say. The girl screamed and the suspect ran away. Once the teen arrived at school, she told school administrators about the attack, and they called police.

The suspect is described as a black man with a goatee in his mid- to late 30s, about 5’5” tall, and with a medium build, officials say. He was wearing black pants and a black-hooded sweatshirt with a red logo on it.

As a precaution, the police department has increased patrols in the area.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5400 or Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to their line that leads to an arrest in this case.