HALL COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies in Hall County are currently searching for a suspect who they say tried grabbing a 12-year-old girl from a bus stop.
Investigators say there is a heavy law enforcement presence near Old Cornelia Hwy. and East Main Street in Gainesville.
Deputies say the man came out of the woods and grabbed the girl’s arm. When she snatched her arm away and started running, he began to chase her down the road.
When a car came down the road, deputies say the man ran off toward an old railroad overpass on Old Cornelia Hwy.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The child is safe, according to deputies.
They added that the suspect, whose name has not been released, is not believed to be armed.
“We had investigators, deputies, drone assets in the air for quite a while. We had a large canine team present, several dogs and several teams were in the area searching through the morning,” Derreck Booth with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said.
He is described as being about six feet tall with a slender build. They say the man was missing his upper teeth and had facial hair. He was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.
Investigators say he did not have known weapons, but could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Anyone who sees someone matching his description should call 911.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
