By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Police say they don’t know if an encounter in a Centralia neighborhood yesterday was an attempted theft of a bicycle or attempted kidnapping of the child riding it.
Officers were called just after 5:30 p.m. and spoke to the 7-year-old victim who said he was riding in the area near his home in the 1500 block of Delaware Avenue when a male approached him, according to the Centralia Police Department.
He said the male suddenly grabbed him and tried to pull him off his bike, Officer John Panco said. The male was unsuccessful and the little boy was able to ride away, Panco said.
Officers checked the area, but didn’t locate a suspect, according to police.
The child’s description was vague, Panco said. The subject was described as a white male, with black clothing and black shoes, he said.
The boy said he’d never seen the person before and wasn’t sure if he would recognize him if he saw him again, according to Panco.
The responding officer indicated in the report it’s not known if he was trying to take the bicycle or the victim, Panco said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter