7-year-old recalls attempted kidnapping

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Metro police are looking for a man they said tried to snatch a 7-year-old girl and her two sisters on West Michigan Street on Indy's near west side.

24-Hour News 8 talked to the young girl, who explained the frightening ordeal.

First-grader Samantha Price said she was walking to the grocery store with two of her older sisters when it happened.

“A guy asked if we wanted a ride and got out of the car, and he started pulling me by my collar, and my sisters brought me back,” Samantha said.

Her sisters had to help her get away from the man trying to get her into his car, she said.

“I was scared. I was thinking I won't be able to see Mommy,” she added.

Price was OK, and she can remember exactly what that man looked like.

“He was black, and he was old, and he had wrinkles, and he had a brown hat on,” she said.

Christan Gaskins, who lives next door to Samantha, said she feels this has happened more often lately. She has three children of her own.

“We don’t really allow the girls to go anywhere in the neighborhood. It’s just, it’s not safe. Not even to the park on the corner,” Gaskins said.

According to police reports, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said an extra patrol will be deployed in that general area on the near west side.

Police were alerted to what they're calling an "attempted kidnapping" by a teacher at IPS.

Samantha said the kids were going over what they'd done over the weekend, and she shared this story.

Both Gaskins and Samantha’s older sister said they’ve both been followed by strange men recently in that area but never reported it.

IMPD has no record of any report of attempting kidnappings in the last year on West Michigan Street.