A 7th grade girl fought off a man who attacked her Tuesday as she was returning home from school in Huntington Beach, prompting school officials and police to warn students of the dangers of walking alone.
Walking home from Spring View Middle School, the young girl was approached by the predator and touched inappropriately.
"Our heart goes out to her and her family for having to deal with such a horrifying incident," Gina Clayton-Tarvin, president of the Ocean View School District Board of Trustees, said. "She really dealt with it amazingly."
The Ocean View School District warned parents of the attack through emails, by phone and on its website. The school district also notified nearby schools.
Clayton-Tarvin emphasized the importance of staying alert and recommended that students walk in pairs or groups along safe school routes.
The Huntington Beach Police Department described the attacker as a white man in his 20s who stands at 5 feet tall and is estimated to weigh 150 pounds. He has brown, wavy hair, facial hair and was last seen wearing a turquoise shirt. A witness said the man fled the scene in a small black car with tinted windows and dark rims after the attack.
Anyone with information on the attack is asked to call the Huntington Beach Police Department at 714-375-5066.
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The victim is reportedly doing well and returned to class the following day.
