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Detectives release image of vehicle possibly involved in attempted Aberdeen kidnapping

ABERDEEN, Wash. — Detectives with the Aberdeen Police Department have released an image of a vehicle suspected in a recent kidnapping attempt.

The vehicle appears to be a red Chevrolet extended cab truck.

Police said around 12:30 p.m. on May 11, a 5-year-old girl was driving her miniature firetruck on the sidewalk  in front of Jo’s Deli on 500 E. 1st Street when a man appeared and picked her up.

“He just tried taking her when she was just playing,” said Kim Coker, the child’s mother.

The family lives a few houses down the street. They heard the girl screaming and started running.

“I was very scared. It was going through my mind, what would’ve happened if he would’ve got her? If she wouldn’t have screamed I wouldn’t have heard her,” said Patty Coker, the girl's grandmother.

Patty Coker believes the screams saved her granddaughter’s life. She said the man put her granddaughter down and took off.

Aberdeen police said the preschooler did everything right.

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“We absolutely encourage kids to scream, kick, fight, whatever they can do to try to get away,” said Lt. Dale Green, Aberdeen Police Department. “Make sure children know how to fight back and not be a victim, scream and yell, make sure they get mom or dad or grandma’s attention and call us if they see anything suspicious.”

Investigators said the man had shaggy blonde hair and a mustache. He was last seen leaving in a red pickup truck. Another neighbor reported seeing a red truck with a large garbage can in its bed and a large scratch across the passenger side of the tailgate speeding in the area.

Officers searched the area but were unable to find the truck or the driver.

Anyone with information on the vehicle or the attempted kidnapping is asked to call Detective Lougheed at 360-533-3180.