Girls ignore suspicious man

Another possible kidnapping attempt happened in Salt Lake City Wednesday.

About 3 p.m., two girls were walking home from Emerson Elementary School near 900 East Wilson Ave. (1750 South) when a man driving a silver four-door vehicle pulled up next to them, said Salt Lake police Sgt. Robin Snyder. The man pointed to the backseat and asked the girls, age 11 and 12, to get in, she said.

The girls ignored the man and continued walking. But the man persisted and asked for their phone numbers, Snyder said. The girls picked up the pace and quickly made their way home.

Whether it was a kidnapping attempt or just a "suspicious person" was still being investigated Thursday. But Snyder said the girls did everything right.

"They were walking in a group, they ignored a stranger and when the stranger became more persistent they ran home," she said. "Parents should teach their children that if anyone is ever confronted by a stranger and that person tries to grab them, make a scene. Kick, scream, make a lot of commotion. And it's also a good idea to have a code word."

The suspicious circumstance came a day after a 14-year-old girl said she had to fight off two men who grabbed her hair, punched her and ripped her shirt as she was walking home from a bus stop near 660 West and 200 South.

Detectives did not believe Thursday the two incidents are related.

— Pat Reavy