Assault And Attempted Kidnapping

On the evening of August 14th, four girls, ages five to eight, entered the park from an adjacent elementary school, where they encountered an adult male who placed a knife to the throat of one of them and attempted to abduct all four. The three other girls screamed and fled despite their assailant’s demands, thereby also providing an opportunity for the first girl to get free and escape. None of the four girls was injured. The incident was reported to the Petersburg Bureau of Police. The park’s chief ranger was contacted the following day after detectives determined that the incident had taken place in the park. A joint investigation by detectives and NPS rangers and a special agent is currently underway