Man attacks woman picking up her kids from school
By Cecil Hannibal
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SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Sacramento police are investigating after a woman was sexually assaulted while picking her kids up from school. Authorities have yet to arrest a suspect in this case.
It happened just before noon at American Lakes School in South Natomas.
“This is me walking them to the car,” said Cynthia Paris as she showed KCRA 3 surveillance video from the school’s security cameras.
Paris said she was picking up two of her children early for a dentist appointment, and while putting them in the back seat, she didn’t notice the man standing near her car.
She was parked right in front of a school she visits daily, and never expected what would happen next.
Surveillance video shows her walking by him towards the driver’s side of her vehicle when the man lunged towards her and grabbed her.
“He picked me up,” Paris said, fighting back tears as she recalled the terrifying moments. “He groped me,” she said, holding her silence. “I just remember trying to push him off and get him away from me,” Paris said.
Surveillance video captured the moment an unknown man grabbed Cynthia Paris in broad daylight, with her children sitting in the backseat of her car.
Paris screamed and fought until the man ran away, all while her 6- and 7-year-old children watched from the backseat.
“They were angry for me and sad for me because they saw everything, you know,” Paris said. “It makes me feel angry and uneasy,” she added, expressing her distress over the suspect still being at large.
KCRA 3 contacted the Sacramento Police Department, which confirmed that this is an active sexual assault investigation but could not provide any suspect details or descriptions.
“He intentionally covered his face,” Paris said, explaining that she never saw the man’s face due to a mask and hood.
Until the suspect is caught, Paris said her family cannot regain a sense of peace. “More anxiety picking them up, constantly like looking around before I do anything,” said Paris.
KCRA 3 also contacted the Natomas Unified School District, which stated it is fully cooperating with authorities but cannot share any details as this is an active investigation.
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