San Diego police are investigating a report that a strange man tried to lure a teen into his vehicle near Taft Middle School in the Serra Mesa area.
The 14-year-old boy told officers he was walking home around 4:45 p.m. Monday in the 9100 block of Gramercy Drive when a man in his 30s drove up beside him in a red car.
The boy says the stranger asked him if he needed a ride and offered to buy him some ice cream or a snack.
Feeling scared, the boy refused and called police. The suspect soon drove off.
The only description officials have right now is a man in his 30s or 40s, wearing a brown San Diego shirt, driving a faded red Toyota Corolla or Camry.
The suspect’s attempted luring was especially bold because it happened less than a mile from a police station.
Even so, parents of students at Taft Middle School said the idea of someone attempting to lure a child into a car was worrisome.
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“Oh! Absolutely it spooks me,” exclaimed parent Jamie Bryant. “My daughter is 12."
The heartache of potentially losing her daughter, Becca, is the reason why she taught her how to protect herself at an early age.
"I'm one of those believers in teaching self-defense,” she said.“Get to the nearest safe place. If she's in a residential area get to a neighbor she knows and make as much noise as possible.“
