ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Parents in one Roanoke neighborhood are on high alert after police said a man tried to bribe kids to get in his car.
On Thursday at 7:29 p.m., a Roanoke police officer was called to the 2000 block of Moorman Avenue NW to investigate a report of suspicious activity.
"They were standing there playing basketball," said parent Melanie Parker. "He could have grabbed them, any of them."
Parker is glad her family and other neighborhood kids are safe after a man lurking along Moorman Ave. NW tried to lure kids into his car Thursday afternoon.
"It's very unusual for somebody to just stop in the middle of the road to try to play basketball with the kids," commented Shawna Hash, a parent who lives across the street and saw the event unfold. "It just didn't look right."
Neighbors said they've never seen the man before. Roanoke City Police said the man bet the kids who were shooting hoops he could make a shot for $10. The man missed and asked the children if one of them would ride with him to the ATM to get the money.
"My daughter was standing in front of the sidewalk and he looked at her," said Parker. "She was back some and he was like 'are you going to go to the bank with me so, I can get this money to pay you all?'"
That's when Parker and several other parents stepped in asking the man to leave. He left only to return a short time later. This time he didn't stop, but threw some cash out the window.
"You just don't know what his intentions were," said Parker. "That's my biggest fear."
For many in the neighborhood this is a lesson not to be taken lightly.
"You need to know who's around and what's going on around your children," added Hash. "It's very scary because a lot of kids are being abducted these days. You just never know."
Police said they have very little information about the suspect, only that they are looking for a tall, white man in his 60's. Police further said he was last seen wearing a grey shirt, blue jeans and bandana.
Neighbors said the man was driving a dark blue Ford Taurus.
If you have any information please call Roanoke City Police.
At this point, police have no information to indicate that he touched any of the children or attempted to grab them in any way.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the RPD tip line at 540-344-8500.