Four incidents during the past three months have Gwinnett County authorities concerned that someone is targeting children.
Police believe one person may be responsible for three incidents in Norcross and one in Snellville. They described them:
-- Around 7:50 a. m. Jan. 31 in the area of Ivy Chase Lane in Norcross, a 13-year-old girl was walking back to her apartment after dropping off her brother at a bus stop when a man pulled up next to her in his vehicle and yelled, “Hey.” The girl said she stopped and looked around.
She said the suspect opened the driver side door, used a silver camera to take a picture of her, and then left the area. The suspect was described as a bald black man in his mid 30s with facial hair. He was driving a gold, 4-door sedan with no center hubcaps and chrome trim around the door frames.
-- Around 7 p.m. Feb. 16, a 14-year-old girl was walking near Peachtree Corner Circle and Brandywine Trail in Norcross when a man in a car pulled up next to her. The suspect asked the girl her age and if she wanted a ride. He also asked if she wanted to make a few hundred dollars, and she told him “no.”
The suspect then told the victim to wait while he parked so he could get out and talk to her. The girl ran away and the suspect drove off, taking a left onto Holcomb Bridge Road. The man was described as black, with short hair, and wearing a black short-sleeve shirt with a green and yellow design on the front. The car was described as an older-model gold passenger car, possibly a Toyota Corolla.
-- Around 1 p.m. Feb. 28 in the 2200 block of Boone Place in Snellville, an 8-year-old boy was walking home when a man pulled up next to him and demanded he “get in the car.” The boy said the man had a short black pistol. The boy began to run.
When another vehicle came around the corner, the man drove away. The man was described as having a deep voice, and wearing a black mask and black gloves with a lighter color on the bottom. The vehicle was described as a gold passenger car, possibly a Chevrolet Malibu.
-- Around 6:30 a.m. March 13, in the area of the 3200 block of Sunrise Village Lane in Norcross, an 11-year-old girl was walking to her bus stop when a man started chasing her. The victim ran to her friends. After catching up to her friends, she turned around, and the man was gone.
A juvenile witness said she has seen the suspect on two separate occasions while walking her dog in the afternoon. Both times she saw the suspect, he was wearing a black mask. On one occasion, the man approached her, and her dog snapped at him. The man then turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
Authorities are asking residents to be extra vigilant with their children and their activities and to report any suspicious behavior or activity in their neighborhoods.
Anyone with information leading to the identity of a suspect is asked to call the Gwinnett County Police Criminal Investigations Section at 770-513-5300. Anyone who encounters this person is asked to call 911 and not to engage him.
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