Chicago police warn of 2 child luring attempts in South Austin hours apart

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two child luring attempts blocks apart in the South Austin have prompted Chicago police to issue an alert.

The incidents occurred blocks away from each other a couple hours apart on the West Side.

"It'll make me like really worry. It's really not safe out here, it's really not," said parent, Tashea Evans.

The first occurred in the 300-block of North Parkside Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. and the other happened at about two hours later in the 300-block of North Central Avenue.

Police said at the Parkside location, someone tried to lure a nine-year-old boy into a white, four-door truck with tinted windows. The suspect was in the front passenger seat as the truck drove alongside the child, according to police.

At one point, the alert said that offender got out of the passenger side and told the victim to "come here," but the child ran away.

"That really scared me because, a little boy? Really? What kind of person are you," said fellow parent, Evelyn Hayes.

Police said just a few hours later on North Central Avenue, someone in a similar white, four-door pick-up truck with tinted windows tried to lure a 13-year-old boy.

The alert said the passenger got out of the truck, this time running after the victim who saw a relative.

The suspect description in both incidents are not the same, but the vehicle descriptions match.

Police have put the South Austin neighborhood on alert.

"From now on, I will be walking her to school, because I'm kind of scared now," Hayes said.

Ty Almazer is now keeping an eye out for his siblings.

"That's sick, that's sad I'm not gonna lie, that's so sad," Almazer said.

"Whoever is doing this...it's just really sad, like these kids are innocent," parent Octavia Johnson said. "Like, why are you trying to go around kidnapping kids?"

The attempted lurings occurred near Duke Ellington Elementary School. Friday morning, many parents, like Denisha McCloug, walked their children to the front door.

"It's very concerning," McCloug said. "I remember when we were children we could walk to school, you know. Now we can't do that. My nine-year-old wants to be independent and there's absolutely no way I would allow her to walk alone."

William Common's grandkids go to Ellington Elementary. He's outraged the incidents happened so close to the school.

"I know if I was to see somebody or catch somebody trying to lure one of my kids in there, they'll have, I ain't gonna speak on TV what I would do to him," Common said.

Denise Johnson said she plans to talk to her kids about it.

"Honestly, we talk to them about strangers and even people they've seen before can be strangers and we tell them, you know, we'll never send a stranger to pick you up," Johnson.

Police are warning people to be aware of this situation and they are reminding parents and guardians not to let children walk or play alone.