Trackdown: Help find Fort Worth student's attacker
Fort Worth police hope new surveillance video and still images will generate leads about the man who attacked a 13-year-old girl on her way to catch a school bus.
Police are looking for a person of interest seen in the area of the attack in far west Fort Worth at Calmont and Laredo on April 19. He is a man police would like to talk to if they can find out who he is.
READ MORE: Fort Worth PD: Girl, 13, attacked near bus stop by unknown man
The 13-year-old refugee from Congo still remains in the hospital and unable to talk clearly yet with detectives. Fort Worth police hope the new video will help them identify the man who may know what happened that day.
“Somebody knows this guy,” said Fort Worth Police Detective Pat Henz. “I’m sure several people know this guy.”
Video shows the person of interest walking with a purpose through the Knights Inn Motel just after the attack that left the victim in critical condition. The man had a beard, a black ball cap turned backwards, a black pullover and was carrying a backpack.
“We believe this person was here and has some information that would help us understand what transpired that morning,” Henz said.
New video shows the same man detectives want to speak with walk into a convenience store just a few minutes after the attack. Police describe him as a white male, about 5’8” tall and weighing about 200 pounds.
After going to the convenience store bathroom, video shows the person of interest walking out without a beard after shaving it in the bathroom. He took off the long-sleeve pullover and was wearing a black t-shirt that said ‘Brooklyn 33.’ His tattoos on the left side of his neck and on both arms were all exposed. He had a backpack in his right hand.
“We need to know who this guy is,” Henz said. “He called someone to come pick him up shortly after this happened.”
Detectives say the person of interested jumped in the passenger side of a white SUV and left. Police want you to call them and tell them who he is.
“We're not worried about criminal histories. We're not worried about warrants, things like that. We're not worried about that stuff. We're worried about finding this guy,” said Fort Worth Police Sgt. Chris Britt.
The girl’s father says the attacker choked his daughter. Police confirmed that. The family came to Fort Worth about fifteen months ago as refugees from the violence in their native Congo only to experience random violence here.
“A young child was seriously injured,” Henz said. “And we need to find out what happened for her and for this community.”
Anyone who may know the person of interest is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (817) 469-8477.