8-year-old escapes North Side attempted kidnapping after hitting suspect: CPD, aldermen say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police are searching for a man who allegedly tried to kidnap an 8-year-old boy on the city's North Side Monday afternoon.

CPD and local aldermen said the boy was walking with his parent in the 2000-block of West Ainslie Street in Ravenswood about 2:20 p.m., when the suspect pulled up in a dirty dark blue Toyota Corolla.

The suspect then tried to pull him through the open driver's side window, officials said.

The boy hit the driver, and was able to run away, authorities said.

The Aldermen Andre Vasquez, with the 40th Ward, and Matthew J. Martin, with the 47th Ward, said the vehicle drove away, west on Ainslie.

No injuries were reported, and no one is in custody.

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"I'm outraged, and I think anybody would be to hear this horrible story," said David Dunai, who lives nearby. "Horrible, I feel really horrible for the parent whose kid this happened to. It's crazy."

Neighbors are horrified.

"It's just disappointing. You never want to hear about bad things happening in your neighborhood, but the reality is that anything can happen anywhere," neighbor Andrea Amos said.

Amos said it happened right in front of her house. She was home at the time, but didn't see anything.

"It's scary, especially because my boys are out front all the time. And they're what I think is at an age right now, where you don't have to watch them all the time. But my youngest is one year older," she said. "Nobody saw anything, and many people had just been in and out."

She said families have been texting each other Tuesday, asking if anyone's cameras caught anything and worrying about their own children.

"This whole block is full of kids; there's probably 30 kids on this block," Amos said.

Dunai said he was impressed by the boy's ability to break free.

"Kind of saluting the kid to be able to do what he or she did, because that's self-defense at its best. In fact, maybe I'm going to start doing that with my girls, too; if somebody does that, you have a right to push back," he said. "It is very hard, and hopefully it won't happen again and they catch the guy."

Area Three detectives are investigating, while the aldermen's office are working to inform nearby schools and daycares.

Anyone with information is asked to call 312-744-8261.

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