- Chilling moments before the attempted kidnapping
- The driver allegedly approached the schoolgirl in his car
Police have released surveillance footage of the moments before a man allegedly tried to kidnap a schoolgirl in Melbourne’s northeastern suburbs.
A man of Middle Eastern appearance driving a gray Audi Q3 SUV allegedly told an 11-year-old girl to get into his car in broad daylight on March 28.
The CCTV footage shows a car – believed to be the Audi – driving into a nearby street around the time of the alleged incident.
The girl was walking home from school in Doncaster East when she was approached.
A man of Middle Eastern appearance driving a gray Audi Q3 SUV allegedly told an 11-year-old girl to get into his car in broad daylight on March 28.
The CCTV footage shows a car – believed to be the Audi – driving into a nearby street around the time of the alleged incident
Around 2:40 p.m. Thursday, the girl was on Landscape Road as the man drove east before making a U-turn and stopping a short distance from the girl, police said in a statement released Monday.
“Investigators have learned that the unknown man ordered the girl to get into the car,” police said.
The 11-year-old girl ran away and hid in nearby bushes, and police believe the Audi took off south on Taurus Road.
Detective Senior Constable Brooke Miller said the girl was left ‘terrified’.
“She felt like she was going to be taken,” she said.
‘A little girl should feel safe walking home from school. It’s really terrible what he did.’
Constable Miller praised the girl for her quick thinking in escaping the driver.
“She remembered all the information and had the smarts to run and hide,” Officer Miller said.
Assignment Freelance photo An attempted kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl took place in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster East on March 28
‘I hope by providing the description of the man and the car that someone in the area has dashcam footage or information that can help us.’
The girl managed to get help from a local resident.
“The man is believed to be of Middle Eastern appearance with tanned skin, black hair, a black beard and a moustache,” Victoria Police said in the statement.
The Audi driver was wearing sunglasses with brown lenses and a gray T-shirt.
Information can be submitted confidentially through Crime Stoppers, and police are urging any witnesses to contact authorities.
