The 15-year-old girl was out for a run when a man in truck pulled alongside her on County Road 392 in Alvin about 9:20 p.m. Sunday, the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office said.
A Texas teen was forced to fight for her life when she was attacked by a man who attempted to abduct her as she was jogging, police said.
The 15-year-old girl was out for a run when a man in truck pulled alongside her on County Road 392 in Alvin about 9:20 p.m. Sunday, the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office said.
The man got out of his vehicle, a tan four-door early 2000s Chevrolet Silverado with Texas license plates, and approached the girl, whom he then wrapped his arms around, authorities said.
The girl screamed for help, and both she and her attacker fell to the ground, officials said. The girl fought the man off and he fled in his truck, police said.
The truck, which sits lower in the bed than in the front, was last seen traveling south on County Road 392 before turning to go east on County Road 184.
Police said the suspect was described as Hispanic with a medium complexion, and said he appeared to be in his late teens to early 20s. He stood between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-10 and weighed between 150 and 170 pounds. He was bald, but had a groomed black goatee and brown eyes.
At the time of the incident, the man wore a black hoodie, gray sweatpants and black Nike shoes with white bottoms.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Investigator Jeff Mink with the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office at 979-864-2392, or to contact the Brazoria County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-460-2222.
Following a series of deaths of female runners, including Mollie Tibbetts in Iowa in July and Karina Vetrano in New York in 2016, authorities have urged women to remain vigilant while exercising.
After Tibbetts’ death, Inside Edition tested an arsenal of high-tech safety devices to determine their effectiveness. Correspondent Megan Alexander put to the test the LifeLine Response app, which uses GPS information to help emergency responders locate people who need them. When she dropped her phone, the app alerted police and let her know they were on their way.
In Inside Edition's test, it took just two minutes for police to arrive.
After Vetrano’s death, safety expert Kathleen Baty showed Inside Edition devices female joggers can use to protect themselves.
"Circle of Six is a great emergency app,” Baty said at the time. “You download the app and six of your contacts, and if something happens a simple press of the button sends a message to your contacts that says, ‘I need help.’ It also drops a GPS pin showing where you are.”
There is also the Tigerlady Self-Defense Claw, a device that fits inside a runner's hand. With a squeeze, a runner can punch or pierce an attacker with retractable spikes.
Baty also advises running with a buddy and first thing in the morning before everyone is out. She also had a key tip: Avoid listening to loud music.
“It's scary, you just never know,” Baty said. “It's a shame but women have to worry about this.”
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