Police: Man tried to kidnap girl walking home from school in Marquette Park

Police are searching for a man who tried to kidnap a girl Wednesday afternoon as she walked home from school in the Marquette Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

The girl was walking on 71st Street when she encountered the suspect near Maplewood Avenue, according to an alert from Chicago Police. When she tried to walk around him, the man turned and tried to grab her.

The girl then ran off and reported the incident, police said.

The suspect is described as a 6-foot black man, thought to be between the ages of 28 and 35, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds with a black beard and afro and a medium complexion, police said. He was seen wearing a black and gray hat, a gray sweater and dark baggy pants.

Anyone with information about the attempted kidnapping should call Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8380.