For the past two days, a group of Lantern Lane Elementary School students have been frightened by two males following them home driving slowly, revving their engine at times and once even driving up on the curb in what the children think was an attempt to scare them.
Missouri City police believe the suspects are high school students trying to scare the children, and do not believe the events are attempted abductions. Nevertheless, police say the situation is being taken very seriously, and patrol cars will be in the area for the next few days looking for the suspects.
“We don’t play games when it comes to this kind of stuff, whoever is doing this to these kids they need to knock it off,” said Missouri City Police Captain John Bailey. “You can rest assured we will be in the area and we will be looking for these people.”
According to reports, about seven students were in the 1500 block of Hilton Head Monday, on their way home from school when they saw a small, silver passenger vehicle following them.
The children said there were two people inside the car, both white males in their late teens. The suspects never spoke to them, just followed them slowly, revving the engine and squealing the tires.
On Tuesday, the students were in the 1700 block of Eastfield when the children said the same two suspects began following them in a dirty, silver, two-door truck with a plastic bed-liner.
The children said one of the suspects was wearing a black hoodie, and the other was wearing sunglasses. Once again, the vehicle followed the children slowly, revving the engine and squealing the tires. At one point the driver pulled the truck up on the curb.
The children began running and yelling that the truck was following them. A 23-year-old witness told police she thought the suspects were about 16 or 17 years old.
This is not a good time to be changing bus routes to save a few dollars while placing more children in situations like this.
Has the city increased police patrols in the area?
This is a very good reason not to lengthen bus rides as is being proposed for next year. It isn’t safe.
Probably just a dumb prank but these teens need to know…in this day and age and as it should be, any threat to childrens safety will have great scrutiny. I think they better settle down and focus their pranks on their own age group. Keep in mind some of these other potential abductors were not much older. This is.. or could be very serious.