Deputies issue warning after two attempted abductions in Harris County
After two attempted kidnappings in the same Harris County neighborhood, deputies are reminding people how to protect themselves.
The attacks happened on Saturday morning in a neighborhood just south of Spring.
Investigators say the first abduction was around 10:45 a.m. in the 900 block of N. Vista Drive.
According to police reports, a 19-year-old woman was walking down a sidewalk when she spotted a man parked in his car.
The man allegedly got out of his car and tried to force the woman into his vehicle
A neighbor told Eyewitness News that he heard the woman screaming and saw her trying to fight him off before he ran back to his car and drove away.
Sgt. Terry Garza with the Harris County Sheriff's Office says she did everything right.
"What she did was correct, she fought the attacker and then ran. So he went to find a more vulnerable target and almost did. He was able to get the second woman inside of his vehicle," Garza said.
Investigators say while they were taking the report of the first attack, they received a call for another attempted abduction just a few blocks away in the 16200 block of N. Bend Drive.
The victim in the second case spoke with Eyewitness News and said she was riding her bike when the man pulled up next to her, pushed her to the ground and put her in his car.
She said once she was inside the vehicle she realized she needed to get out, and jumped out of the moving vehicle.
It's unclear if this man was armed, but Sgt. Garza says you should never get inside a stranger's car, even if they do have a gun.
"Most of the time they don't want to shoot you. They want to take you somewhere and torture you and hurt you, and do bad things to you. So, if you can jump out, get out. Do what the second woman did, get out of that bad situation," Garza said.
Deputies say the first rule to protect yourself is knowing who is around you, so no one can sneak up on you.
If you walk alone, make sure you never have earbuds in or headphones on.
Sgt. Garza says the only thing you should ever carry in your hands are your keys, so you can quickly unlock a door.
She says to put your cell phone away, keep your head up and make eye contact with everyone around you.
Krav Maga Houston instructor Trea Drake says if you do get attacked, you need to act quickly.
"The reality is, if you don't know what to do, then do something and do it violently. That's the deal, you've got to be violent about it," Drake said.
He tells us too often his clients come in after they have been victimized. His basic instruction for people who have not attended a self-defense class is to fight back.
"These guys, they don't want to go to prison, they don't want to get hurt, and if you fight back you're increasing the likelihood that both of those things happen to them," Drake said.
Harris County deputies are still searching for the man and the car.
The car is described a silver or dark gray Toyota sedan with tinted windows and damage to the right front side.
Authorities only have a vague description of the suspect, calling him a light-skinned black man, 19 to 25 years old, about 5'8" to 5'9" and clean shaven.
