Woman escapes attempted abduction
Dec 14, 2024
GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio (WCMH) – Police in Grandview Heights, located near Columbus, are searching for a suspect believed to be involved in an attempted abduction that occurred near an apartment complex Wednesday.
Police say a report of an attempted abduction was received at around 9:30 p.m. An adult woman told officers she was walking to a residence at the Apartments at the Yard, on Baldwin Drive, when a man wearing a surgical mask grabbed her from behind.
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The victim said the man attempted to pull her toward a car in a nearby parking lot but that she was able to break free and run away.
"As I was trying to walk home from that event, a guy tried grabbing the back of my jacket and told me he was like, you need to get in the car," She told police on a 9-1-1 call. "When I was breaking away from him and telling him to get away from me he was like if you talk to that woman I'll hurt her too."
Police said that surveillance cameras in the area captured a gold Chevrolet Cruz circulating the parking lot, then leaving moments after the reported incident.
A gold Chevrolet Cruz is seen leaving the scene of an alleged attempted abduction in Grandview Heights, Dec. 12, 2024. (Courtesy/Grandview Heights Division of Police)
"At first I was a little unsettled. I was kind of surprised that we hadn't heard anything from the neighborhood and that I found out through social media," Alexis Reynolds, a four-year resident of Apartments at the Yard, said. "As a young woman, I was very unsettled especially because I found out through social media and didn't really know. It gets dark really early now so I didn't leave my apartment, I stayed in, I didn't go to the gym"
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Reynolds says this is a scary reminder to be careful.
"Stay vigilant. Keep your eyes up. You never know, even if you are aware and you think you're aware of your surroundings, you never know what can happen"
Grandview Heights Police say the suspect is still at large and is described as 5'10, around 190 lbs. with dark-colored hair. Police stated he was seen wearing a tan-colored sweater with dark-colored pants.
Anyone who observed suspicious behavior or has additional information is asked to call Grandview Heights police at 614-488-7901.