PASADENA, Texas – A man tried to sexually assault a 10-year-old girl near an apartment complex, investigators said.
Pasadena police said the girl was playing alone in the right-of-way just outside the Vista Del Sol apartment complex at 701 Preston in Pasadena at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
"How dare him try to do this to anybody's child, let alone my child?" said the mother, who did not want to be identified.
Investigators said a man grabbed her, forced her to the ground and tried to take off her clothing. She was able to break free and run home, officials said.
"How dare him try to do this to anybody's child, let alone my child?" said the mother, who did not want to be identified.
The girl's mother said she is thankful her daughter got away, but that she feels responsible.
"I feel like that's where I made my mistake, because I thought she was, you know, safe. But she wasn't."
The girl described her attacker as having light brown skin, five feet and seven inches tall and 175 pounds with a medium build. He spoke English with a Spanish accent. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, gray work gloves, black shorts, black sandals or flip-flops and a had stocking over his head.
Police said they believed the gloves slowed down the man's efforts to remove the girl's clothing, which may have given her the time to get away.
Anyone with information is asked to call Pasadena police at 713-477-1221 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.