A man tried to lure a trio of young Chicago school children into a van early Friday in what police say is the second attempted abduction near the same school in a week.
The incident happened just after 7 a.m. near Chicago International Charter School 110 E. 61st St. in the Washington Park neighborhood. NBC Chicago said the man approached a 9-year-old girl and her two younger brothers as they were walking to school.
"My daughter reported that a man chased them all the way to school," said Crystal Phillips, the children's mother. "And my daughter said a man had a gun."
Police, however, did not confirm the reports and said the children's accounts had inconsistencies. The Sun-Times said officials were investigating as of Friday and had yet to spot the white van on surveillance tapes.
Charter schools start their day earlier than the public schools and were not yet staffed with Safe Passage Route workers at the time of the alleged attempt, according to CBS Chicago.
The school sent a letter to parents alerting them of the incident.
"We need the community to come together," Managing Director Stacey Shells said. "We need neighbors to look out their windows in the morning. We need people in the community to be vigilant."
A similar incident reportedly happened last week, though according to ABC Chicago, police decided that case was "not bona fide" and ended that investigation.
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