8-Year Old Raped Outside in Broad Daylight; Police Hunt Rapist

A woman in St. Petersburg, FL, took her 8-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son to Central Oak Park around noon on Thursday to play. The park is only half a block from the family’s apartment, and the woman suddenly remembered that she had left her kitchen stove on. St. Petersburg Police spokesman Bill Profitt said that the woman decided to leave her children alone to play in the park for just a few minutes so she could return home and turn off the stove.

According to Profitt, just moments after their mother left, the children noticed a stranger and started to go home themselves, but the strange man caught up with them and grabbed the girl. "Before they could leave the park, the man came up from behind, grabbed her in a bear hug, pushed her down, and got on her," Profitt said. Her brother immediately ran home to get his mother.

Aaron Chambliss was playing basketball nearby when the attack occurred. He heard screams and when he saw what was happening, he rushed to help. He yelled at the man to stop, but the man didn’t. "He proceeded to get up and run," Chambliss said, "but then he jumped on her again and that is when I felt like I needed to get there." So Chambliss started running. "He saw me coming to her rescue and he proceeded to get up and run, but in a split second he changed his mind and jumped back on her before she could get up," Chambliss said. "And that’s when I hit full sprint. I was going to catch him. I was going to do something about it."

A female motorist also saw what was going on and began honking her horn to get people’s attention and try to get the man off the girl. "They saw and instantly perceived that a crime was being committed," Profitt said. "There was no doubt in their minds and they took action immediately. The blaring of the horn and the running over here actually stopped the man from continuing what he was doing."

Chambliss chased the suspect on foot, but lost him. Police believe they may have recovered the man’s shirt, which he evidently took off while he was running away. The man ran north and east of the park, but despite the police canine unit being called to track him, they lost the scent of him four or five blocks from the park. Police locked down the area by the park immediately and began talking to witnesses. People in the neighborhood have no idea who the man was, and they said he may be a transient. "This is a sick individual," Chambliss said. "Broad daylight, in front of a park, a residential neighborhood. We have a lot of kids around here. We don’t need any sexual predators in our neighborhood."

The suspect is described as being about 17 to 21 years old, 5’6", and 125 lbs. Some witnesses reported that he had Asian features and dark hair. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the St. Petersburg communication center at (727) 893-7780.