Police investigate attempted kidnapping outside Santa Rosa school

Santa Rosa police Friday were investigating the report of an attempted kidnapping outside of a south Santa Rosa elementary school.

A man reportedly grabbed the wrist of a 9-year-old girl as she exited a restroom at about 6 p.m. Thursday on the campus of Kawana Academy of Arts and Sciences on Moraga Drive, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Rob Reynolds said. The girl, who was participating in an after-school program, had seen the man loitering nearby when she went into the bathroom.

Holding her wrist, the man threatened to take her against her will, Reynolds said.

The girl broke free from the man’s grasp, yelled and ran.

She told police she saw the man run to a light brown sedan with a cracked driver’s side window in the parking lot and get in and drive away, Reynolds said. She saw the car heading north on Moraga Drive, he said.

Officers searched the area but did not find him or the car, Reynolds said.

He was described as a white man about 5 feet, 10 inches tall with a skinny build and short brown hair. He was wearing a white tank top and blue jeans and described as “dirty in appearance,” Reynolds said. He had no facial hair and no visible tattoos.

The domestic violence and sexual assault detective unit is investigating the incident. Anyone with information about the case can call the Santa Rosa Police Department at 528-5222.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.