Laurel Abduction Attempt False Alarm
Police say August incident was a “misunderstanding.”
An Aug. 22 incident that Laurel Police reported as the attempted abduction of an 11-year-old boy was a “misunderstanding,” according to police, who spoke with the two men originally thought to be the abductors.
Police were told the boy was waiting for a bus to take him to Martin Luther King Jr. Middle when he was approached by two men in a van, with one of the men eventually getting out of the car and approaching the boy. The student eventually fled the scene and reported the incident.
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Police are now saying that the intentions of the men in the vehicle were innocent after being contacted by the men, who said they were asking the boy if he wanted a toy, reports the Laurel Leader.
The men told police that they believed the boy fled because of a language barrier causing him not to understand their intentions, according to police.
Colliemom
12:49 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Umm....no. This does't make sense; what adult males, especially two men in a van, would approach a child they didn't know who was waiting at a bus stop? When things don't make sense, there is something else going on. Sounds like the boy did well to follow his instincts and run away.
Joshua Garner
12:53 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012
I have to admit, it is an odd situation. But the men came forward after reading about the incident in the Leader to explain their intentions.
Maxine Thompson-Burroughs
1:06 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Children are taught not to talk to strangers. Why would a stranger offer a child that they do not know a toy.