CONCORD (KRON) — A Bay Area mother witnessed a man in a clown suit attempting to snatch her 1-year-old baby girl at a bus stop in Concord.
On Wednesday afternoon, a mother holding her baby girl walked up to a bus stop where a clown was sitting. The mother, with her baby in her arms, sat down next to the clown at the bus stop.
The clown then started to smile at the mother and her baby. The mother did not think anything of it, other than the man was just being friendly, she told KRON4’s Haaziq Madyun.
The clown then reached out for the baby girl and attempted to grab her as she was in her mother’s arms.
The mother quickly tugged back and kicked the clown with the boots on her feet. The clown then ran away.
The mother called 9-1-1 and Concord police responded to the scene.
Dispatchers received a call at about 1 p.m. of a suspicious situation at a bus stop at Willow Pass Road and Waterworld Parkway where they learned that a man in dressed in a clown costume approached a woman and her child.
Officers arrived to the scene but the clown had fled on foot.
The clown and the woman had a short conversation when the clown grabbed and pulled on the child’s left arm.
Officers are now searching the area for the clown.
The clown is described as a white male with blue eyes and wearing a partial clown getup including a blue wig, a rainbow and a polka dot suit but with tennis shoes and without a painted face.
KRON4’s Haaziq Madyun first spoke with the mother of the 1-year-old baby girl and Concord police.
Creepy clowns have been threatening schools around the country, including the Bay Area.
Schools in Fairfield, Oakland and Antioch have been the targets of threats from “creepy clown” social media accounts this week.
Fairfield schools are stepping up patrols on campus as a precaution and to ease the worries of concerned parents.
Fairfield police Lt. Rob Lenke said the threats received Monday night on Twitter said, “Be ready, we’re coming to your school” and “We’re coming to get you.”
There were also specific references to killing and kidnapping that might occur at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Lenke said.
Officials in the Oakland Unified School District told parents Tuesday afternoon that threats had been made toward schools in Oakland, district spokesman John Sasaki said.
Sasaki would not name the schools, but he would say most of the threats were being made on Instagram.
He said that the threats so far have been hoaxes.
Antioch police were dispatched at 10:57 a.m. Tuesday to Dallas Ranch Middle School on a report of posts saying clowns were going to shoot at the school.
Burlingame police said they were made aware of posts claiming that people dressed as clowns were going to show up at Peninsula schools including some in Burlingame.
Parents say they’re nervous and their kids are terrified.
Schools and police around the country are now faced with the challenge of putting an end to the spike of creepy clown threats.
Here is the statement from the Antioch Unified School District page from the superintendent:
As you are aware, social media postings regarding ‘crazy clowns’ coming to schools to commit acts of violence has spread across the country and has now reached the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD). During the past two days, we have had reports of crazy clown sightings and social media posts threatening to commit violence at some of our schools. Specific threats have been investigated by AUSD administrators as well as officers from the Antioch Police Department. We have yet to confirm that a ‘crazy clown’ has been near or on any AUSD campus. However, we will continue to be vigilant in our efforts to ensure that all of our schools are safe and student learning time is not interrupted.
Should we at any time receive information that there is a credible threat to do harm at any of our schools –or to any of our students, we will not hesitate to share that information with law enforcement, our parents, and with the greater community.
As always, student safety is our number one concern. Thank you for your continued support of our students and our schools
Sincerely,
Stephanie Anello
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