Mirror staff reports:
Federal Way police seek a suspect involved in the attempted abduction of two young children over the weekend.
The first incident occurred around 5:20 p.m. Oct. 5. According to police, an 8-year-old female was crossing the play field at Brigadoon Elementary School, 3601 SW 336th St., when an unknown male asked her if she wanted candy.
The girl told him no and attempted to run away. The male grabbed the girl from behind when she stumbled. She escaped after scratching and biting the male’s hands, police said.
The male was described as Hispanic, between ages 30 and 50. He was wearing a sideways “reddish/purple” baseball hat, along with a red bandana around his neck. He was also wearing a blue T-shirt, tight tan-colored pants and black shoes.
The composite sketch of the suspect, pictured above, is based on the girl’s descriptions to police.
The second incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. Oct. 6. According to police, a 7-year-old boy reported that a similar male suspect attempted to grab him near the same location as the previous incident. The boy reported that the male fled the area on foot. A K-9 unit search turned up negative. Federal Way detectives are investigating the incidents to see if they are related, according to police.
Police are reviewing video surveillance to assist in the investigation, and are working with school security and Brigadoon Elementary staff.
When dealing with younger victims, the process for obtaining facts often takes longer than with more mature victims, according to police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.
Detectives were notified Saturday, interviewed the first victim’s mother on Sunday, then began working on the sketch of the suspect, Schrock said. The sketch was released to the media on Monday afternoon.
“Public safety is always the number one priority,” Schrock told The Mirror in an email. “There is a critical balance between immediately distributing information, and taking the necessary time to evaluate facts to prevent unnecessary panic.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Michael Coffey at (253) 835-6777 or michael.coffey@cityoffederalway.com.
