Bradenton Girl Attacked on Way to School Bus Stop

BRADENTON, FL — The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is looking for help identifying a man its deputies say attacked a 16-year-old girl on her way to a school bus stop Tuesday morning.

According to the agency, the girl was walking in the area of 20th Street East and 50th Avenue Drive East around 6:05 a.m. when the attack occurred. The man grabbed the girl’s backpack and pulled her to the ground, an email from the sheriff’s office said.

The man then instructed the girl to take off her pants and attempted to pull up her shirt, the email said. He also took her cellphone and ran off with it when a car passed by, the email noted.

The girl, who was not injured, returned home and called for help. Deputies searched the area, but did not find the suspect. The attacker is described as being a possibly Hispanic male around age 25. He stood about 5-foot-7 and has a “skinny” build, the sheriff’s office said. He was last seen wearing jeans and a dark T-shirt.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.

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