Police: Woman tried to lure boy in Grosse Pointe stranger danger
GROSSE POINTE WOODS, Mich. (WJBK) - Police and parents on alert in Grosse Pointe Woods after a little boy reports a case of stranger danger. A woman he didn't know offered the boy a ride as he walked alone to school.
A woman reportedly tried to lure a 10-year-old Tyrone Elementary student into her van Friday morning.
"I've noticed there have been several attempts to lure kids into vehicles lately," said Leslie Deshazor.
Deshazor admits this is one of the reasons she homeschools her kids. She lives in Harper Woods and says she was just teaching her 5 and 11 year-olds about stranger danger.
Police say the boy was walking on Allard Avenue between Harper and Arthur in Grosse Pointe Woods when the woman approached - right around the corner from where the Deshazors live.
Investigators say a black woman around 40 years old was driving a white minivan with rust on the bottom and tinted windows when she approached the child Friday morning.
"It can be any type of person, an elderly woman, any kind of skin color, any kind of personality," Deshazor said. "It is a little unusual to hear a woman doing it."
The woman reportedly approached the boy and said 'I'll give you a ride, come on get in." The boy said no and kept on walking, but she continued to try coaxing the boy into the van for at least a few minutes.
"My first thought when I heard it, was that it might be genuine," said Deshazor said. "But then the constant urging, it's a little frightening. But that is something I'm always thinking about."
Grosse Pointe Woods police are investigating. If you spot any suspicious activity or vehicles matching the van's description - you are asked to alert authorities at (313) 343-2400.