Evanston police are looking for a woman who grabbed an Oakton Elementary School student as the girl was walking with friends near a bus stop across from the school.
Police say the incident happened about 8:35 a.m. Tuesday at the corner of Ridge Avenue and Austin Street.
The suspect, described as a white woman about 50 years old, was standing in a bus shelter on the east side of Ridge when several students passed by.
Police say the woman emerged from the shelter, grabbed one of the girls by her arms and asked her several times what her name was.
The student was able to pull away from the assailant and the girls ran to the school to report the incident.
Police say the girls were frightened but uninjured and provided a detailed description of the subject.
They say she had chin-length, curly brown hair with grey streatks, was of medium build and wore purple pants with a brown suede waist-length coat. She also had large round eyeglasses and wore heavy makeup.
The youngsters said she did not appear to have a vehicle and did not appear to be with anyone else.
Police say they had both uniform and plainclothes officers deployed around the city’s elementary and middle schools Tuesday, in the wake of incidents two weeks ago around Haven Middle School and Kingsley Elementary school.
But Police Chief Richard Eddington said this week’s incident does not appear to be related to the earlier ones — which involved a male and female subject in a vehicle and in which there was no actual approach to the students.
Police say they will continue stepped-up patrols around the schools and are continuing to ask residents for help by contacting police immediately if suspicious persons are seen around a school or park or appear to be watching or following children.
There is an update to this story.