Police have arrested a teenager who they say attempted to kidnap an 8-year-old student outside a West Valley City school Thursday and dragged her before she fought back.
“I’ve been here for 14 years and I’ve never seen something like this where somebody actually comes onto our property and attacks one of our students in such a fashion,” said Granite School District Chief of Staff Ben Horsley.
The third grade student at Whittier Elementary School was waiting with her mother for an older sister after class just before 4 p.m. The mother asked her daughter to go to the front of the building to make sure the older sibling knew they were waiting in the back of the school.
On her way, the suspect approached the girl and grabbed her, taking her into an alcove near the exit of the school cafeteria.
“She kicked and screamed, and we had an adult supervisor watching that north area and he heard some screams,” Horsley explained.
As the school employee went to investigate, the student was able to free herself and go back to her mother’s vehicle. The suspect initially attempted to chase after the girl before fleeing on foot north along 6000 West.
On Friday, police released images and video footage from a surveillance camera that showed the suspect. They asked the public to help them identify who he was.
The school district announced Saturday that after receiving numerous tips, they learned who the suspect was and police were able to find him. The 16-year-old boy was booked into juvenile detention. Officials said he is a student in a “nontraditional” program in the Granite School District, and he lives near the elementary school where the attack took place.
While the student was unharmed and safe, Horsley knows things could have been much worse.
“Considering what could have possibly happened, this is every parent’s worst nightmare, right?”
The district is warning parents and students to be aware and to know what to do if they are ever threatened.
“I’ll tell you what I told my 9-year-old daughter last night, that if you’re ever uncomfortable, if somebody makes you to feel uncomfortable, no matter who they are, you scream and you fight for your life and you don’t stop until you’re with somebody that you trust,” a visibly emotional Horsley said, “and we should always be having those regular conversations.”
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.