Girls fight off abduction attempt while walking to school

A local grandmother said she is grateful that her granddaughters are safe after they fought off a man who tried to attack one of the girls as they walked to school.

Vanessa Lumpkin said her granddaughters, ages 10 and 11, had a brush with the alleged abductor Tuesday morning as they walked with a friend toward school on North Hairston Road in DeKalb.

"This guy came up behind then. He was walking slow behind them and he grabbed my oldest granddaughter," Lumpkin told Channel 2's Ryan Young.

The three girls started fighting to get away from the man as he tried to pull on of them away, Lumpkin said.

"The other girl jumped on his back and her sister said, 'Stop'. She was kicking him and screaming and then he ran off," Lumpkin said.

Police are now looking for the man, described as a young, skinny black male with dreaded hair. He was reportedly wearing an Army jacket, jeans and sneakers at the time of the incident, Young said.

DeKalb County schools have sent a letter to parents to warn them of the attack.

Lumpkin vows to heighten her granddaughters' protection, promising from now on to drive them to school every day.

"Very scary. You never know what could happen," Lumpkin said. "If your child is not ready and prepared, you may not see them again."