A 10-year-old girl was grabbed by a mask man who attempted to drag her away as she walked to school, police have said. The youngster screamed and kicked after the man picked her up by the waist, with the assailant then fleeing the scene.
The incident took place at roughly at 8.15am on Tuesday on Sandy Lane, in Perry Barr, Birmingham. West Midlands Police described the man as around 20 years old, tall and thin. He was dressed in all black and wearing a cap, leather gloves, big black boots, a mesh-type mask and had a black rucksack.
The young victim managed to escape and is thankfully now safe, the Mirror reports. She has been left "shaken" by the incident but is not physically hurt, authorities confirmed.
After the incident, she also provided a statement to assist the force with their investigation. The girl's school, Arena Academy, issued an alert to parents following the incident, Birmingham Live reports.
Deputy head Claire Kilroy wrote in an email on Wednesday: "We were made aware of an incident yesterday morning involving one of our students. On the way to school a student was approached and grabbed by a man wearing a balaclava on Sandy Lane in Great Barr.
"The man was dressed all in black and the incident happened at 8:15am. The police are involved and we are in touch with them, if you have any further information regarding this incident or would like to talk to someone, please email me or report your concerns directly to the police on 101."
West Midlands Police said in a statement: "We’re investigating after a girl was grabbed by a man as she made her way to school on Tuesday morning (September 27). It happened on the grassy area in Sandy Lane, near Booths Lane, in Perry Barr at 8.15am.
"The girl was grabbed around the waist from behind by a man who attempted to drag her. She kicked out and screamed and the attacker ran off. He’s described as around 20-years-old, tall and thin. He was wearing all black clothing as well as a black cap, leather gloves, big back boots and a mesh type mask. He was carrying a black rucksack.
"The girl, aged 10, is understandably shaken, but is safe and we are supporting her. She’s bravely given us a statement to assist our investigation. We’re trawling local CCTV and enquiries are ongoing, we’d ask anyone who was in the area and may have seen a man matching this description to contact us.
"Fortunately incidents like this are extremely rare, but we’ve increased patrols in the area and our schools link officer has attended the nearby school to offer reassurance and advice. Any witnesses or anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously nearby is asked to get in touch with us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101. Please quote crime reference 20/803719/22.
"If you are concerned about children’s safety visit our website here for more information."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
