Man uses knife in attempted kidnapping of Dinuba 14-year-old girl

DINUBA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Police in the South Valley say a man used a knife to try and kidnap a teenager walking to school Thursday morning.

The 14-year-old girl was walking to Washington Intermediate School when police say a man approached her. Even though she ignored him, he still got out of his car and threatened her.

The incident happened around 7:45am on the 1600 block of East Davis Ave., just north of the girl's school. Dinuba police say the girl bravely ran to get away. The man's car was last seen northbound on Hayes Avenue.

"It was scary," said Lori Burdges. "It's something nobody wants to hear, especially if you're a parent."

Burges, a Dinuba parent, says she was notified about the incident by Dinuba Unified School District through its Teleparent messaging system. Even in a relatively quiet neighborhood she's not comfortable letting her kids walk to school for this very reason.

"I really am not," she told Action News. "I guess you can say I'm an overprotective mother. I don't want to be at work worrying did my son make it to school safely."

Detective John Jobe said the potential kidnapper is clearly bold and dangerous. When the girl ignored his initial lure to get her in his car he used a weapon to scare her, he said.

"At this time he displayed a small pocket knife," said Jobe. "At this point the female got scared and turn around and ran, went home."

The girl was able to run back to her house, where her parents called police. There's not much of a description of the man, other than a heavy set Hispanic male in his 40's with a thin mustache and goatee.

"The vehicle is going to be a white sedan, 4-door, possibly a Nissan," Jobe said. "It has black rims with tinted windows."

Parents and police are hoping more can be done to protect vulnerable children.

"Either take your child to school or have your child walk to school with a group of friends," Det. Jobe added.

"It might seem kind of hopeless right now," Burdges said. "But there has to be something, we just gotta find what it is."

Police are hoping if there are any witnesses or homes in the area that caught the incident on surveillance cameras that those people come forward.