by Cris Italia and Joseph Kellard
Police reported that an unknown black male grabbed the young girl by her ankle at Perkins Avenue in Oceanside at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.
The victim was with her 10 year old brother riding her bicycle near her house when the subject grabbed her ankle, and she kicked and broke free, police told the Herald.
"We were devastated when she came to us," said the girl's father who requested that his name and his family be kept anonymous.
She rode her bike to her brother, and the suspect called her to come back. The suspect walked across the street and away from the area. No car was seen by the girl. She told her brother what had happened, and they went back to their house and told their father about the incident. The father took her in the family car to try to spot him.
"As soon as she told me I got into my car and looked for the guy," the father said. "I drove about eight blocks south and west from my home, but he must have had a car or something."
A police canvass of the area revealed that a white, older-model, American-made sedan was observed in the area by two people. This vehicle had a black male occupant in it at the time.
The young girl understands what happened, but according to her father, she hasn't dwelled on it. "She's okay, she's young so I don't think she totally understands the scope of what happened," he said. "I'm fearful that this could happen . . . I grew up in a different world, this can happen now."
The father hasn't been concerned about the safety in Oceanside, he feels "Oceanside is just like any other town," and that this has become part of life. "I'm not letting her out without me anymore that's for sure. She wants to go out, I'll be right beside her."
The father also stated that the fourth precinct police officers have been very helpful. "They have been great in all of this. They're working really hard, and they have some leads. Hopefully something like this doesn't happen again."
In a letter to parents, Superintendent Herb Brown stated, "It is unfortunate that such incidents occur . . . We advise [parents] to talk to children and reinforce with them appropriate behavior when encountering strangers."
The suspect in question was a black male with a thin build, a mustache, and wearing a blue-and-white, long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
