Girl, 8, fights off man in attempted kidnapping in South Austin

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Police are searching for a man who attempted to kidnap a girl in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood Sunday afternoon.

Family said they come over to the house near West Jackson Boulevard and South Lockwood Avenue every Sunday for dinner at grandmother's house. The kids would play outside while waiting for dinner to be ready.

"It is strange. It is scary. It is very sickening and this is a family block<' said Cheniece Kidd, the victim's mother.

Kidd is outraged after her 8-year-old daughter was almost kidnaped while playing outside Sunday afternoon outside her grandmother's home in the city's South Austin neighborhood.

"We thought everything was fine because around here we kind of look out for each other, you know. So something like this you don't really just expect to happen," said Teressia Kidd, grandmother.

"I am scared, not just for my kids but for everyone else's kids," Cheniece said.

Police said around 3:30 p.m., as she was riding her bike, an unknown man approached her and pulled a plastic bag over her head.

"He didn't say a word. He snuck up on her and put the bag on her head," Teressia said.

The girl kicked the offender, got away and ran inside her grandmother's house for help. The man fled, running east on Jackson, then south on Lockwood.

"You could see in her face something was wrong. She is not a crybaby, so she wasn't crying. She was just confused as of the incident that took place," Cheniece said.

Cheniece tried to track the man down after calling 911, but had no luck.

"I immediately drove my car and rode around and try to find the man she described, but I didn't find anybody," she said.

She's thankful her daughter knew what to do to protect herself.

"I am extremely proud that I raised a fighter. She is not going to give up and let nobody take her. She knows she has family that loves her and wants her home," Cheniece said.

"You got to be prayed up. Expect the unexpected. Things can happen at the wink of an eye," Teressia said.

The offender is described as a black male, 5 feet 5 inches tall and of medium build, approximately 40 years old, with a bald head. He has a tattoo of a heart on his neck and was wearing a brown long sleeve shirt, black pants, and blue low-top shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 312-744-8261.

The girl was not harmed in the incident and attended school Monday.