THORNTON, Colo. — Thornton police are working to identify a suspect who allegedly grabbed a 10-year-old student — who was able to escape — on Friday morning.
The Thornton Police Department said the attempted child abduction happened Friday around 7:30 a.m. outside of STEM Launch, located at 9450 Pecos St. The suspect grabbed and tried to remove a 10-year-old female student from the area, but she was able to fight off the person, according to Adams 12 Five Star School. The suspect then ran away, police said.
The child told nearby adults. She is safe and with her family, the school district said.
Police released two photos of the person of interest. No other photos were available.
The person is described as a male standing about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a thin build. He has blonde hair and was wearing a black Adidas hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, black shoes with white soles, a mask and black gloves. He may be associated with a dark-colored sedan-SUV crossover, police said.
Thornton police are increasing their patrols in the nearby neighborhoods.
Adams 12 Five Star Schools modified its release process for the schools in the area where the attempted abduction occurred: STEM Launch K-8, Federal Heights Elementary, and Hillcrest Elementary.
Kerissa Quintana picked up all three of her children from school as soon as she heard about the incident.
"No parent wants to hear about their child being almost abducted, especially by a school, where they are supposed to be safe and where we put our trust in the staff and everything else to keep them safe," said Quintana.
All students at those Adams 12 schools had to be picked up at school and were not able to leave without being reunified with a parent, guardian, or identified person at pickup.
Jason King arrived to pick his child up after he received the notification.
"Pretty upsetting, but at least they provided a safe environment today and a secure procedure for picking them up," said King. "I'm not sure what else they can do to mitigate psychos in society."
The school district also asked parents and guardians to reinforce safety skills with their children.
Police said this case is in the early stages of the investigation. No other details were available.
Anybody with information on this case is asked to call the police department at 720-977-5150 or, to remain anonymous, contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.