JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. -- A 9-year-old girl who escaped a would-be kidnapper has helped investigators create a sketch of the suspect.
The girl was putting a toy away in her driveway on Grand Avenue, near Kipling and Belleview, Monday night at 8 p.m. when she said a man suddenly touched her and said, "come with me."
The girl, who knew stranger danger, ran into the house and told her parents about the incident.
"She heard the door shut, she said the car was still running and she said the next thing she knew the guy was grabbing her," the girl's mother told Denver7.
The mother said she was shaken from the scare, noting her daughter simply was playing in the driveway of her family's home.
"Luckily the guy wasn't still out here when we came out, I believe she scared him away, because she ran back inside as he tried to grab her," she said.
The girl's mother said she is lucky her daughter knew the values of stranger danger, but encouraged other parents to have the conversation with their children.
"It is something important that needs to be brought up around the dinner table a lot," she said. "Just constantly keep it in front of their minds on what to do in a situation like this."
Officers are now searching for the man, describing him as a thin, 6-feet-tall, having tanned skin and tattoos on both arms. On his left arm, the tattoo is near or above the elbow and depicts a red skull.
The man was wearing a green baseball cap with white letters, a red shirt, torn blue jeans and black shoes. He was driving a newer, bright red, four-door sedan.
Anybody with information is asked to call police at (303) 271-5612.
"If he is still trying to do this to any other kid, I just hope they get him before he actually gets a kid," the girl's mother said.
---------
Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines.
