Sketch of suspect accused of attempted kidnapping near elementary school released
Vandalized license-plate-reading cameras hindered the attempted kidnapping probe, HPD Chief Noe Diaz previously said.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The sketch of a man accused of asking an 8-year-old girl to get inside his car near Memorial Park last month has been released.
According to the Houston Police Department, the bald Black man has facial and arm tattoos.
HPD said that on the afternoon of Aug. 16, a Sunday, a man called police to report that his 8-year-old daughter was near the Memorial Elementary School playground on Haskell Street when a red car pulled up next to her.
According to HPD, a man in that car showed her a puppy and tried to lure her toward his vehicle. Police added that the suspect drove away when the girl ran away from him.
ABC13 has reached out to HPD to inquire about whether the sketch is based on the young girl's recollection of events, possible surveillance video, or other witnesses. HPD said the sketch was based on the description given to investigators, but did not say who provided them.
HPD alleged vandalized cameras hindered investigation: Chronicle
According to our partners at the Houston Chronicle, HPD said that vandalized Flock cameras in the area hindered the attempted kidnapping investigation.
ABC13 obtained an audio recording from a community meeting in which HPD Chief Noe Diaz said that the department received a report of an attempted abduction but that officers were unable to track the car the suspect was driving because three nearby license-plate reading cameras had been cut down.
SEE ALSO: Houston Flock cameras vandalized, cut down and spray-painted near Washington Avenue, police say
In the recording, Diaz said that 75% of the area's residents had surveillance cameras, but none were willing to provide the footage to HPD.
A resident who spoke to ABC13 said that wasn't true. A woman who declined to go on camera told ABC13's Chaz Miller that their cameras captured the incident and that they provided their footage to HPD.
HPD did not provide ABC13 with a comment regarding the role the vandalized cameras played in the investigation, citing the ongoing investigation into the alleged attempted kidnapping.
