Teen Screams, Fights Off Attacker in Dallas

Dallas police are looking for the man who grabbed and tried to abduct a 17-year-old girl as she walked to school Tuesday morning.

The student was walking along the 900 block of Hutchins Road, headed to Roosevelt High School, when a man came up behind her and put her into a bear hug, police said.

The girl screamed and dropped to the ground. The man then tried to drag her back toward her car, but was scared off when another student saw the attack and started yelling.

The victim told police she did not know the man and that he said nothing before attacking her.

Surveillance video of the parking lot of the nearby Salvation Army recorded the man driving into the area, turning around and exiting his car, police said. The man can then be seen walking behind a fence and behind the girl.

After he is scared off, the man can be seen driving away.

Dallas police have not confirmed the type of car the man was driving, but believe it may be a dark blue or black Honda Civic. Accounts from both the witness and the victim describe the man as black, with a beard and in his 30s. He was wearing a dark-colored hoodie and bluejeans. The witness said the man was between 6 foot 1 and 6 foot 2 inches tall.

"I mean, that's a bold move that somebody is making to do something like that," said Lieutenant Cavon Phillips, with the Salvation Army.

The assault happened in front of the Salvation Army Community Center property where Phillips works in Oak Cliff. Phillips said it's the same center where the victim's brother comes on a regular basis.

"He's holding up pretty good," said Phillips. "He's just glad his sister is OK. That's the main thing."

Police said they do not know the man's intent, but that they credit the witness for helping to scare off the woman's attacker.