3rd grader fights off 16-year-old trying to kidnap her at school, Utah officials say
A 16-year-old accused of trying to kidnap a third grader outside of an elementary school has been arrested, Utah school officials said.
The “assault and attempted kidnapping incident” happened April 6 at Whittier Elementary School in West Valley City, according to a statement on the Granite School District’s Facebook page.
The third grader was with her mother while waiting for her older sister just before 4 p.m., according to Fox 13.
“The mother asked her daughter to go to the front of the building to make sure the older sibling knew they were waiting in the back of the school,” the news outlet reported.
While walking toward the front of the school, a teenager grabbed the girl, according to Fox 13.
The teenager then dragged the third grader away, according to ABC4. She fought and screamed until school employees heard and approached the area, the news outlet reported.
Police released video surveillance of the incident, which led to several tips from members of the public, according to WSAZ. Law enforcement officials arrested the 16-year-old April 8, Fox 13 reported.
He is a student in the Granite School District and attends a “non-traditional program,” Fox 13 reported. He also lives near the elementary school, according to the news outlet.
A spokesman for the Granite School District did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
The third grader was not injured, according to Fox 13.
A parent of a child at the elementary school shared screengrabs of an email from Principal Jennifer Bodell on Facebook.
“I am so grateful today that the student is safe and with her family,” the email says, according to the photo shared by Delsey Cox. “I am so glad that one of our employees heard her screams and was able to assist her.”
West Valley City is a suburb of Salt Lake City.
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