Florida Man In Coronavirus Mask Tries To Snatch 9-Year-Old Girl Off Hoverboard: Police

Police are trying to locate a man who attempted to snatch a 9-year-old girl while she was playing on her hoverboard outside her home in Lake Mary, Florida, earlier this week.

The Lake Mary Police Department has released a composite sketch of the man Thursday (June 4) urging people to help identify him.

Police responded to the Bell Timacuan apartments near Rinehart Road and Timacuan Boulevard at around 6:45 p.m. (EST), Monday (June 1) regarding the incident, according to a statement. The man grabbed the victim by the arm, who then screamed, freed herself and ran to safety. Her mother was caught up with her household chores inside the apartment when the incident happened.

“She was playing on her hoverboard, minding her own business," police spokesman Zach Hudson told WFTV. “And she realized she was in trouble." The girl told police that the suspect smelled of smoke.

Lake Mary Police Department described the suspect as a “White male in his 20’s,” who is at least 6 feet tall. Police said in a statement that the man has a normal build with “brown eyes, brown hair with blonde brownish highlights.” He wore black long pants, black long-sleeve sweatshirt, black Nike shoes, and most importantly a surgical mask which has become a common sight amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Police have urged the guardians to keep a watchful eye on their children whenever they are outdoors, and also watch out for any suspicious people loitering outside their homes. “Criminal activity can occur at any time and any place,” the department wrote on Facebook. “Never take your child’s safety and security for granted.”

In a similar incident that happened in January in North Carolina, an 8-year-old girl was dining with her mom, Heather Owen, at a restaurant when she left the table for some time to go to the restroom and Owen noticed someone from the adjacent table following her. She kept an eye on the bathroom door and watched the suspect trying to grab the child as she walked out of the toilet. Cody Byrd, an A&T University graduate student who was also present there at the moment, quickly apprehended him, took his picture, and gave that to the authorities. The suspect, who fled the scene, later admitted to police that he found the girl sexually attractive.