Young girl screaming 'stranger danger' dragged out of Southfield store by man, police say

Witnesses say man had tight grip on child

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – A young girl was seen leaving a Southfield store with a man while screaming "stranger danger," witnesses told police.

UPDATE: Police say young girl was with her father and safe

MORE: Southfield police talk to girl about consequences of yelling false ‘stranger danger'

A 4- to 6-year-old girl was seen exiting Burlington Coat Factory around 11 a.m. with a 40- to 60-year-old man, police said. The store is located at 29720 Southfield Road.

Witnesses said the child began to struggle with the man, screaming "stranger danger" and hitting him, according to police.

A witness said the man had a tight grip on the child and told her that "he would tell her how he knew her father when she got into the car."

They got into a silver four-door sedan with a North Carolina or South Carolina license plate, with partial letters of "DK," police said. It was last seen heading south on Southfield Road from the store.

The girl has braided hair that is possibly adorned with white beads. She was last seen wearing a purple knit hat with a Disney princess on it, a bright pink hooded sweatshirt and light-colored leggings.

The man is around 6 feet tall with a medium build. He is balding and has a medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a black oversized jacket, a light-colored hooded sweatshirt and baggy black pants.

Southfield police said they have not received a report of a missing child.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Southfield Police Department at 248-796-5500.

Stay with ClickOnDetroit for updates.


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Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.