Hanford girl hits kidnapper with rock to escape

Detectives at the Hanford Police Department are on the lookout for the suspect. But they're spending a lot of time praising the little girl for her awareness and her actions.

Police say the suspect pulled up in a white pickup at the intersection of Brown and Ivy and tried to lure the 12 year old girl into his truck.

"And he asked her to get into the car and she wouldn't get hurt." said Capt. Parker Sever.

Not only did the girl ignore his request, investigators say she picked up a rock and threw it at the suspect hitting him. The girl then noticed a former bus driver nearby and told her to call police.

"She's doing good. She's shaken up about it but she's ok." said Teri Strawn.

Teri Strawn is friends with the 12-year old and her mother. She also happens to live right where the attempted kidnapping took place.

"That is scary to have that around here. You don't hear that about here. You hear it elsewhere so I'm just like shocked about it." added Strawn.

The mother of three says the young girl was walking to a bus stop where she normally got picked up after school gets out at nearby Lee-Richmond Elementary.

Strawn says the victim is back home with her family and is still a little shaken up emotionally.

"I'm glad she got help and I'm glad this is going to get taken care of. Because something needs to be done. Our children need to be protected." said Strawn.

"We don't want to scare the children but you need to go over these different types of scenarios they could encounter when they're walking to school or after school so that they'll know how to respond." said Capt. Sever.

Captain Sever says the vehicle description matches another attempted kidnapping that took place on south 11th Avenue last month. Two suspects in that incident also targeted a young student walking to school that day.

Police are looking for a white pickup with tinted windows. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his 30's with a beard. He was last seen wearing a black and green striped shirt with a collar.

If anyone has information on this case you're urged to contact the Hanford Police Department.