CHICAGO — Police are warning residents of Lawndale and Kenwood of two separate incidents in which a man tried to lure a young girl into his van earlier this week.
About 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, a man tried to lure a girl in the 700 block of South Karlov Avenue, police said in a community alert.
The man approached a 14-year-old girl in a white cargo van and asked her, "Do you want a ride, sweetheart?" When the girl ignored the question, the man circled the block and again asked the girl if she wanted a ride.
The man then got out of the van, grabbed the teen by her left shoulder and attempted to get her into the van. The girl punched the man in the man in the head and ran away, police said.
The man was described as a bald, heavy-set black man with acne and a lazy right eye, from 40 to 50 years old.
Police also warned of a man trying to lure a 13-year-old girl in the Kenwood neighborhood Tuesday evening.
About 7 p.m., a man began following the teen in the 5000 block of South Dorchester Avenue.
The man, who was driving a gray minivan, yelled for the girl to get in the van, and the girl ran away, police said in an alert.
The man was described as a bald, heavy-set black man with a dark complexion in his late 30s or early 40s.
Police are warning residents to stay alert and report any suspicious activity.
