South Sound News

Two young Olympia sisters say man tried to kidnap them

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Seven-year-old Ember and 10-year-old Aireyana were playing not far from their house in southeast Olympia Sunday afternoon.

"Ember went to pet a cat," said Aireyana. "I was riding down the hill over there."

"And trying to fix her chain," Ember chimed in.

Ember says she ran after a neighborhood cat and into the woods near their home in the 4000 block of 40th Avenue Southeast.

"I kind of backed out and looked and then someone grabbed, and was holding me," she said. "And he said, 'if you don't' something."

Ember says she kicked him in the shins.  Then he tried grabbing her sister.

"He grabbed me by my tights and pulled me off my bike," said Aireyana.

"This is after he had tried to grab your sister?" she was asked.

"Yeah," she said. "And after she escaped."

"Did you scream?" Ember was asked.

"Yes," she said.

"She screamed her head off," said Aireyana.

They immediately went home to tell their father.

"They ran around this corner and said he ran away, right there," said Robbie Medina. "So maybe 30 seconds after the encounter."

They say the man is white, in his 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a muscular build and dark hair.  He was wearing a sleeveless, red T-shirt, blue jeans and black and white tennis shoes.  He has a goatee and a tattoo on his upper left shoulder.

The sisters credit their father with teaching them what to do if they were ever attacked.

"Our dad teaches us a lot of neat and very good things," said Ember.

"Fighting skills," said Aireyana.

"Fighting skills, right," added Ember.

This has affected everyone in this small neighborhood.  Another neighbor says they are all on edge.

Anyone who knows the man the sisters say attacked them is asked to call Olympia Police.

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