Man tries to solicit teen at bus stop

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indianapolis Metro Police Department has stepped up patrols near bus stops.

And now, they are searching for a man who they say solicited a student as she walked to her bus stop.

Police say it happened just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday near 11th Street and Oakland Avenue.

The 17-year-old girl told police that the man propositioned her, but that she walked away briskly without answering. She said when the man continued to follow her, she ran home a couple of blocks away.

The East District Commander, Deputy Chief Chad Knecht said police response was prompt because of stepped up patrols.

"I think so. Today we had one officer that was less than a minute away from this particular incident and one officer was the person that was flagged down before the call to police even went through. So we had two officers within seconds away. And we were in the area and I think that was a great deterrence."

Just last week IMPD detectives investigated a sexual assault just a few blocks away in the 1200 block of Tuxedo Street.

In that incident police say a 15-year-old girl walking to her bus stop at 6:30 in the morning was approached by an armed man who forced her into a near by alley and sexually assaulted her.

Police are asking anyone with information about either incident to call police or Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.